Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced that Chandrakant Pandit’s role as head coach with the franchise will cease to exist any longer. Pandit, who was appointed ahead of the 2023 edition of the IPL, was in charge of the franchise for three seasons, including the championship-winning one in 2024 alongside captain Shreyas Iyer and mentor Gautam Gambhir.
However, the writing was on the wall regarding his stint with the franchise after a disappointing title defence in 2025, where the Knight Riders won just five matches and finished in eighth position on the table.
Chandrakant Pandit has decided to explore new opportunities and will not continue as Head Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders,” the franchise said in a statement on Tuesday, July 29.
“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.”
Pandit, who came to the IPL with a decorated CV, having led Vidarbha to two consecutive Ranji Trophy titles in 2018 and 2019 and then Madhya Pradesh in 2022, didn’t have a great first season in the IPL in 2023, replacing Brendon McCullum in the role. KKR were hamstrung with injuries to their captain, Shreyas Iyer, and all-rounder Shakib Hasan. The first-time captain Nitish Rana did well, but KKR lacked an experienced Indian batter in the middle order.
2024 was possibly the best assembled squad by the Knight Riders, with Iyer back and the likes of Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Starc, and Ramandeep Singh being recruited to plug the holes. Gambhir as mentor and Iyer as captain had a big role to play, but the title win helped Pandit retain his spot for the next season, even though the other two had left.
Under Pandit, KKR won 22 out of 42 matches they played (two no results) across three seasons, and the three-time champions will now be on the hunt for a new head coach. Dwayne Bravo, Abhishek Nayar, Ottis Gibson, and Bharat Arun currently make up the rest of the support staff for the Knight Riders.
