Kolkata Knight Riders is all set to announce their new head coach's name ahead of Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). After the resignation of Chandrakant Pandit, the place is now vacant. On Saturday evening (October 11, 2025), a new update about the appointment of KKR's new coach has emerged. 

IPL 2025 was a disappointing season for the former league champions. They entered into the season as the defending champion but failed miserably to protect their title. The Kolkata-based franchise was not able to qualify for the round of four; they crashed out of the tournament from the group stage because of their inconsistent performance on the field. 

In IPL 2025, the multi-time champion team concluded the campaign as the 8th team in the 10-team competition. In 14 matches, Knight Riders managed to win in only 5 games and suffered losses on 7 occasions. Mumbai Indians was the fourth team on the points table with 16 points, and KKR accumulated 12 points with a negative net run rate. 

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Who will be KKR's new coach for IPL 2026

After the disappointing season, the head coach of the team, Chandrakant Pandit, left the club, saying that he wants to explore new opportunities. From then, the head coach position in KKR is yet to be filled. 

According to the latest updates, Kolkata Knight Riders are expected to announce their new head coach in the last week of October or the first week of November ahead of Retentions. According to speculations, other than appointing someone new in the franchise, the management can trust a known face in the club. There are also some claims that Abhishek Nayar,who worked with the franchise for a long time and in various positions, can take the role. KKR became the champion last time with the combination of Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar in their coaching staff.