Kolkata (West Bengal) [India]: Former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar has rejoined the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as part of their coaching setup, the defending IPL 2024 champions announced on Saturday.
Welcome back home, @abhisheknayar1 💜 pic.twitter.com/IwJQTnAWxa
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 19, 2025
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the franchise wrote:
“Welcome back home, @abhisheknayar1”
Nayar’s return to KKR comes just weeks after his removal from Team India’s coaching staff following India’s 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, which also cost India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
Alongside Nayar, fielding coach T Dilip and Strength and Conditioning coach Soham Desai were also relieved of their duties. According to BCCI sources, the dismissals were attributed to both performance issues and concerns over alleged dressing room leaks during the series.
Nayar’s Coaching Journey:
Abhishek Nayar had earlier worked closely with KKR, forming part of the backroom staff alongside Ryan Ten Doeschate under the guidance of Gautam Gambhir. Their collaboration proved successful as KKR lifted the IPL 2024 title under captain Shreyas Iyer.
He also had a short stint with the Indian team as assistant batting coach during the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in 2023.
KKR’s Current Campaign:
KKR currently sits sixth on the IPL 2025 points table with three wins and four losses. Their latest match saw a disappointing performance as they were bundled out for 95 runs while chasing 112 against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Their next challenge will be against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Eden Gardens on Monday.