Abhishek Nayar has officially made his comeback into the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) setup. The former batter's return to the KKR support staff was announced shortly before it emerged that he was sacked as India's assistant coach. The defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions posted a video on their X handle showing Nayar in his first nets session.

Nayar can be seen walking onto the field with captain Ajinkya Rahane. He is told, "Welcome back, coach" by the person operating the camera, to which Nayar replies: "Thank you. Appreciate it. Good to be back." The former India and Mumbai all-rounder is then seen interacting with head coach Chandrakant Pandit before talking to Rinku Singh and overseeing his nets session in the video.

Here is the video:

Nayar Gautam Gambhir selected Abhishek Nayar to be a vital member of his support team when he assumed the role of head coach last year, following India's successful campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The duo had previously played a significant role in helping Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secure their first IPL title in over ten years, with Gambhir serving as a player mentor and Nayar as part of the coaching staff.

Recently, Gambhir guided India to triumph in the 2025 Champions Trophy; however, his tenure has also been characterized by a concerning decline in the batting performance of key players in Test cricket. India faced an unexpected 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand, and their subsequent 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia resulted in their failure to qualify for the World Test Championship Final for the first time in his

Reports indicate that Gambhir was dissatisfied with Nayar's performance and did not contest the BCCI's decision to terminate his contract early. Nayar's challenges were compounded by his difficulty in establishing strong relationships with some senior team members.

This situation contrasts sharply with the praise players had for Nayar's contributions during KKR's title win last season. Varun Chakravarthy, KKR's leading wicket-taker, remarked in an interview after the final that Nayar was instrumental in creating the team's "Indian core." He stated, "All I can think right now is of the person who built this Indian core: Abhishek Nayar."

Venkatesh Iyer, who played a pivotal role in the final with an unbeaten 52 runs off just 26 balls, emphasized that certain contributions often go unrecognized when a team succeeds, but he is committed to ensuring Nayar receives the acknowledgment he deserves. "As Varun mentioned, credit has to go to Abhishek Nayar. You know certain things go unnoticed. I'll make sure that they don't go because that guy deserves all the credit in the world for the way he's been working for this franchise," Iyer stated.

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