Abhishek Nayar Joins Kolkata Knight Riders Day After Being Removed From Indian Team

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] April 20: Abhishek Nayar has returned as a member of Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) support staff for IPL 2025, just days after his contract as an assistant coach with the India men’s team was terminated by the BCCI.

Before his latest stint with KKR, Nayar was part of their backroom staff from 2018 to 2024 in the IPL. In 2024, he helped KKR win their third IPL title and first in ten years.

In July 2024, Nayar was appointed as an assistant to head coach Gautam Gambhir in the India men’s side. He became the first major casualty of the review carried out by the BCCI to assess India’s poor run in Test cricket late last year that included a 0-3 defeat at home against New Zealand and the 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While Nayar has never coached in the domestic circuit, he has worked one-on-one with several international and uncapped Indian players, including Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The other members of KKR’s current support staff are head coach Chandrakant Pandit, mentor Dwayne Bravo, bowling coach B Arun, assistant coach Ottis Gibson and spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe.

Nayar linked up with the team in Kolkata on Saturday ahead of KKR’s home game on Monday against Gujarat Titans (GT). The defending champions are currently sixth on the points table with three wins and four defeats in seven games. 

Removed from Indian Team Coaching Staff 

According to the Hindustan Times report, Nayar was never the first-choice assistant for head coach Gautam Gambhir when the appointments were finalised. The 41-year-old Nayar was appointed as he was seen as someone who could act as a bridge between Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken decisive steps following Team India’s disappointing performance in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In a significant move, the BCCI has sacked assistant coach Abhishek Nayar just eight months into his role. The decision comes amid a broader shake-up in the support staff.