Abhishek Nayar rejoins KKR support staff after being sacked from Indian team

Abhishek Nayar, who was sacked from the Indian cricket team as his assistant coach position by the BCCI, has now rejoined the Kolkata Knight Riders support staff. The defending champions confirmed the news of his joining on Saturday, and the former Indian all-rounder is expected to start work the same day, as he is likely to attend the training camp at Eden Gardens.

Abhishek Nayar rejoins KKR in mid-IPL 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders announced the homecoming of Abhishek Nayar on Saturday with a social media post saying, “Welcome back home.” He was a member of the support staff of KKR in their victory in IPL 2024 and set to resume his duties again after being removed by the BCCI from the assistant coach role for the Indian men’s cricket team.

After the successful season with KKR in 2024, head coach Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar joined the Team India coaching staff. However, after just eight months, Nayar has been sacked from his duties after the flop show of Team India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

In IPL 2025, KKR is currently standing at the 6th position in the points table with three victories in seven matches. This is a crucial stage for the defending champions with respect to the playoff qualification race. Now with the rejoining of Abhishek Nayar, it will definitely help the team ahead of the season.

BCCI sacks coaches Abhishek Nayar and T. Dilip following BGT 2024-25 loss

India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 by 3-1 and was also knocked out of the WTC final race. One of the key reasons behind the results was the batting and fielding of Team India. Now, according to the ANI, BCCI has decided to part ways with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and fielding coach T. Dilip, along with trainer Soham Desai.

Notably, Nayar had joined the coaching staff just eight months ago but failed to make an impact, as India lost a home Test series to New Zealand and went on to lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. However, he was a member of the support staff in India’s victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

T. Dilip, who started the iconic fielding medal ceremony after each match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, has also been sacked from his fielding coach role along with trainer Soham Desai. India’s fielding has long been a concern, and the BCCI will now focus on preparing the team for a stronger performance in the upcoming Test series against England.

As of now, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate will reportedly take over the fielding coach responsibilities after the removal of T Dilip.