After a disappointing last season where Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished eighth in the points table, the three-time champions are now set to undergo a coaching overhaul ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) edition. Kolkata have already parted ways with head coach Chandrakant Pandit and bowling coach Bharat Arun. It is now understood that another member of the coaching staff is set to follow suit.
Spin consultant Carl Crowe, who played a big role in helping the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine hone their skills will also make an exit.
Earlier today it was confirmed that Arun has been roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Crowe is also expected to join him at the Sanjiv Goenka-owned side. An official announcement from the Lucknow franchise regarding the same is expected soon.
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While KKR is yet to name their next head coach, reports currently suggest that former franchise and England skipper Eoin Morgan is a potential option. Under Morgan’s captaincy, KKR did well and even reached the finals in 2021.
The Shahrukh Khan co-owned team also have Abhishek Nayar in the ranks and can name him as Pandit’s successor. Thr 41-year-old has been associated with the franchise over the past few years, including their title-winning campaign in IPL 2024 as an assistant coach. He was recently also named the head coach of the UP Warriorz team in Women’s Premier League (WPL) and have briefly worked with the Indian team too.
On the other hand, the vacancy left by Bharat Arun can have multiple suitors too. KKR already have former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as their mentor and he can take over the responsibility. Speculations further suggest that with Arun joining LSG, Zaheer Khan could be roped in by KKR as a reverse deal.
It is clear that the KKR management is eager to make amends for their poor show last season and they want to make a holistic change to the setup in a bid to come back stronger.
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