Months after being removed from India's assistant coach position, Abhishek Nayar is set to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a head coach for the 2026 season.
After his short stint with the Indian team, he had also returned to the Kolkata Knight Riders coaching staff in the second half of the 2025 season, where they finished 8th on the table.
Leading up to the mini-auction, the two-time IPL champions have announced his return to the support staff in a new role, as they look to bounce back from the disappointing season.
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KKR appoints Abhishek Nayar as the new head coach
Following the recent reports, the franchise took to their socials on Thursday to announce Nayar's return to the KKR setup as the head coach for the forthcoming season.
After Gautam Gambhir left the franchise for the Indian team's coaching role, the 2024 champions recently also parted ways with Chandrakant Pandit as their head coach.
Citing the team's camaraderie with Nayar, KKR's CEO showed great excitement in appointing him as the head coach in his official statement.
"Abhishek has been a vital part of the Kolkata Knight Riders setup since 2018, shaping our players both on and off the field. His understanding of the game and connection with players has been key to our growth. We're thrilled to see him take the Head Coach and lead KKR into its next chapter," read the statement.
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After being removed from the Indian coaching staff, Nayar has also assumed duties as the UP Warriorz head coach in the Women's Premier League (WPL). It will be interesting to see whether he continues with roles for two different franchises.
Nayar is famous for working closely with the likes of Rinku Singh and Varun Chakravarthy during the off-seasons and helping them improve the mental side of the game.
Star players like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Dinesh Karthik have also previously credited Nayar for his modern coaching techniques helping them improve their game.
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