Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have named multiple-time Ranji Trophy-winning coach and former India keeper-batter Chandrakant Pandit as their new head coach.
Pandit will replace Brendon McCullum, who left the franchise after IPL 2022 as he was named the head coach of the England men’s Test team.
Pandit played 5 Tests and 36 ODIs for India from 1986 to 1992 scoring 171 and 290 runs respectively. He remained an active cricketer till 2001 and then transitioned into coaching. He has won Ranji Trophy titles with the Mumbai team and led Vidarbha to two successive Ranji Trophy triumphs in 2018 and 2019.
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Most recently, he coached Madhya Pradesh to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2022.
Making the announcement, Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR said, “We are very excited that Chandu is joining the Knight Riders family to lead us through the next phase of our journey. His deep commitment to what he does and his track record of success in domestic cricket, is there for everyone to see. We are looking forward to his partnership with our skipper Shreyas Iyer, which promises to be an exciting one.”
Accepting the new challenge, Chandrakant Pandit said, “It’s a great honor and privilege to be given this responsibility. I have heard from players and others who have been associated with the Knight Riders, about the family culture, as well as the tradition of success that has been created. I am excited about the quality of the support staff and the players who are part of the set up and I am looking forward to this opportunity with all humility and positive expectations.”
KKR failed to replicate their performance of IPL 2021 in this year’s tournament and under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, finished at 7th spot on the IPL 2022 points table with 6 wins from 14 matches and will look for a fresh start under the guidance of Chandrakant Pandit.
(KKR website inputs)
