Chandrakant Pandit guided KKR to their third IPL title in 2024 whereas Bharat Arun joined the facet after ending Group India stint.
Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have made the first big change ahead of IPL 2026. The only second Indian head coach after Ashish Nehra to lift an IPL title, Chandrakant Pandit, has parted ways along with renowned bowling coach Bharat Arun. Under Pandit, a celebrated coach in India, KKR lifted the title in 2024. However, last season, KKR had a disappointing campaign, finishing 8th on the Points Table, winning five matches out of 14.
With Bharat Arun at the helm of bowling, KKR nurtured Harshit Rana who went on to play for India. Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy also found a new lease of life as he made a comeback to Team India. Arun is likely to join Chennai Super Kings as the new bowling coach, as per a Times of India report. While CSK denied the rumours, if Arun joins in, he is set to replace Eric Simons.
“Mr. Chandrakant Pandit has decided to explore new opportunities and will not continue as Head Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders. We are thankful for his invaluable contributions – including leading KKR to the Tata IPL Championship in 2024 and helping build a strong, resilient squad. His leadership and discipline have left a lasting impact on the team. We wish him all the very best for the future,” KKR said in a statement.
Successful stint
Chandrakant Pandit, who is also the head coach of Madhya Pradesh team, replaced Brendon McCullum back in 2022 when the Kiwi was appointed as the head coach of England Test team. Bharat Arun also joined Pandit the same year after a successful stint as the bowling coach of India.
The two together created a successful team that gave India Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, and also groomed talent like Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
With Gautam Gambhir coming back to KKR as the mentor, the trio with Sheyas Iyer as the captain brought the team their third IPL title. However, the winning team drifted away.
| Span | Mat | Won | Lost | HS | LS | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-2025 | 56 | 28 | 26 | 272 | 95 | 51.79 |
Trouble in KKR
Gautam Gambhir left his position as the mentor and joined Team India as the head coach. KKR also let go of their winning captain, Shreyas Iyer, to Punjab Kings at the IPL 2025 Auction. The likes of Phil Salt and Mitchell Starc also departed. While KKR appointed a seasoned Ajinkya Rahane as their new captain, things did not go well.
Several players, especially foreign players, were disgruntled with Pandit’s military methods. Former KKR player David Weise lashed out at Pandit after leaving the franchise.
“Certain issues were going on behind the scenes in the team. Guys weren’t happy with certain things that were going on, and a lot of the time, it was a tough changing room. A new coach was coming in and he liked to do things a certain way, and that didn’t sit well with the players,” Wiese said on Hitman for Hire podcast.
“He (Pandit) is known in India as a fairly militant type of coach, a strict disciplinarian. The overseas guys who’ve played all over the world don’t need someone coming in and telling them how to behave, what to wear, and what to do. I was chill with it, but there were players more stubborn than me,” he added.
Who will replace Chandrakant Pandit?
While Kolkata Knight Riders haven’t announced a replacement yet, there has been a strong rumour about former England captain Eoin Morgan. While InsideSport could not verify the claims, Morgan, who led KKR for two seasons (2020-21), is one of the candidates who can replace Pandit.
Abhishek Nayar returned to KKR after a brief stint with Team India. He was appointed as the assistant coach. While Nayar will also be the head coach of UP Warriorz in WPL 2026, KKR could go with the former Mumbai batter. Nayar has been closely associated with KKR for a long time and could be promoted to the new role.
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