After playing a key role in Rohit Sharma’s remarkable transformation, Abhishek Nayar set to join IPL franchise as head coach

Abhishek Nayar to join KKR as head coach

The Indian Express reported that Nayar was told about the franchise’s decision last week, and a formal announcement is expected to be made soon. Nayar had joined the IPL franchise last year as support staff after he was removed as assistant coach of the Indian team.

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Nayar's last stint with KKR

Nayar previously worked for the Kolkata-based franchise in taking care of and grooming players in the academy. As the IPL 2024 champions part ways with their head coach, Chandrakant Pandit, the Kolkata team had recently zeroed in on Nayar’s name as his replacement. Three-time IPL winners KKR had a forgettable IPL 2025 season, failing to qualify for the playoffs. They managed to win only five games from their 14 league matches.

Abhishek Nayar's coaching stints

Nayar has been working for the franchise for the past many years. Earlier this year, Nayar took on the role of head coach of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchise UP Warriorz. It will be interesting to see if he continues to hold the role of head coach for two different franchises in separate leagues.

Abhishek Nayar helped Rohit Sharma

Nayar was recently spotted alongside former India captain Rohit Sharma in his transformation journey before the Australia ODI series. Notably, Rohit lost almost 10Kgs before featuring against Australia, and he ended the three-match series as the highest run-getter with 202 runs in three matches, including a match-winning century and a half-century.