KKR set to hand Abhishek Nayar the head coach job for IPL 2026. The ex-Indian all-rounder takes over from Chandrakant Pandit who walked away after the poor performance in IPL 2025. Nayar was an assistant coach when KKR won the trophy in 2024.
Why Did KKR Change Their Head Coach?
KKR finished in eighth place in IPL 2025 managing only 12 points from 14 games played. Their net run rate of -0.305 looked awful for a team that won titles before this. Missing playoffs felt like a punch in the gut for fans who expected way better.
Chandrakant Pandit quit after that mess taking the blame for everything going wrong. KKR bosses wanted someone who already knew the dressing room vibes and player personalities well. Nayar made sense since he’d been around KKR for years in various coaching jobs.
Abhishek Nayar’s Cricket Background
Nayar played 103 first-class matches and scored over 5700 runs during his days. He got three ODI matches for India in 2009 but his international career never really took off. His IPL career saw him playing in various teams. These teams are the Rajasthan Royals, Pune Warriors, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Nayar played 60 IPL games before retiring. After retirement he switched to coaching the teams. He headed to KKR to help the head coach. He is helping young guys find their touch. Players like Dinesh Karthik and Shreyas Iyer grew under his watch during their time with KKR.
He just finished coaching UP Warriorz in WPL but nobody knows if he’s officially left. Nayar also helped out as an assistant coach with Team India under Gautam Gambhir briefly earlier.
What Can KKR Expect From Nayar?
Nayar doesn’t panic under pressure and understands match situations better than most coaches around. KKR picked him over fancy foreign names which shows they trust their own people more. They want someone who’s seen these players up close not a stranger learning on the job.
KKR hopes Nayar builds a smart team that actually wins IPL 2026 this time around. His knack for developing talent could turn their youngsters into stars who deliver when it matters. This fresh start might be exactly what KKR needs after last season’s disaster.
