Rohit Sharma And KL Rahul's Fans Flood Kolkata Knight Riders' Comment Section After Three-Time IPL Champions Unveil Abhishek Nayar As Head Coach

Abhishek Nayar has been unveiled as Kolkata Knight Riders' Head Coach for the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Abhishek has had a long association with the Kolkata-based franchise and he, along with Chandrakant Pandit, Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel, played a huge role in the team winning their third Indian Premier League title in 2024.

Nayar then moved to a bigger role with the Indian team, but he was later relieved of his duties with the national team after India succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Australia in the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

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Fans Demand Inclusion KL Rahul And Rohit Sharma In KKR Squad

Kolkata's performance in IPL 2025 was dismal and far from good. The three-time champions released match-winners such as Phil Salt, Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc in the lead-up to the Indian Premier League, and they did pay a heavy price for it. Mitchell Starc performed decently well for Delhi. Phil Salt helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the IPL, whereas Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings to their second IPL final.

Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, finished in the eighth spot. Kolkata managed to win only five games from their quota of 14 and ended with just 12 points to their name. Two of their games also ended as a no result. Abhishek Nayar's signing as the Head Coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders has resulted in the fans demanding to bring in KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma in the Kolkata Knight Riders setup.

The move of Rohit Sharma joining the Kolkata Knight Riders has been speculated since the time the rumours of Abhishek Nayar becoming KKR surfaced online. With the 2026 season fast approaching, it remains to be seen if KKR make any move to acquire Rohit and Rahul's services.

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All Eyes On Ajinkya Rahane

With Kolkata Knight Riders' coaching staff going through a massive change, all eyes are fixated on the KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane. The Indian Test stalwart performed exceedingly well with the bat for the three-time champions, but there is no official confirmation about whether he will be able to hold on to his role or not.