Abhishek Nayar rejoins KKR with BCCI still to confirm his sacking as Team India assistant coach

Former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar rejoined the Kolkata Knight Riders support staff in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) after parting ways with the Indian team, where he had served as assistant coach for nearly a year. Nayar rejoins the defending IPL champions ahead of their upcoming match against Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens on Monday.

Nayar was back in the purple training kit at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens shortly after the franchise announced his return to the support staff. The former seam-bowling all-rounder linked up with captain Ajinkya Rahane and head coach Chandrakant Pandit during the team’s training session ahead of their home game against Gujarat Titans on Monday.

He had served as KKR assistant coach between 2018 and 2024, helping the Shreyas Iyer-led side win their third title last year after defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.

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KKR currently are seventh on the Indian Premier League points table after winning three and losing four matches, the latest of which was a stunning 16-run loss against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur in which the ‘Purple Brigade’ failed to chase down a target of 112 set by the side currently led by ex-captain Iyer.

Nayar, who had been appointed assistant coach in July, had recently been removed from the Indian team support staff along with fielding coach T Dilip and conditioning coach Soham Desai. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate as well as Morne Morkel and Sitanshu Kotak – who serve as bowling and batting coach respectively – have been retained in their respective roles by the

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What’s interesting, however, is the fact that the BCCI is yet to make an official announcement on Nayar’s removal from the Gautam Gambhir-led support staff.

Welcome back home, @abhisheknayar1 💜 pic.twitter.com/IwJQTnAWxa

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 19, 2025

Nayar's removal is rumoured to be the result of a fall out between an senior member of the support staff and a senior player, as well as the Indian team’s string of Test defeats in recent months which saw the Rohit Sharma-led side suffer a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home and surrender the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 1-3 loss.

The Indian team’s strong comeback in their white-ball assignments after the disastrous tour of Australia, however, was not enough for Nayar  to save his job. The Men in Blue defeated England 4-1 in a five-match T20I series and 3-0 in an ODI series before lifting the ICC Champions Trophy for the third time after sailing through the tournament unbeaten.