Former India wicketkeeper Chandrakant Pandit has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders. Pandit has been highly rated as a coach in the domestic circuit which was enough for the Kolkata-based franchise to put him at the helm of things for the upcoming season. Pandit signed the contract on Tuesday and was also presented with the KKR jersey by CEO Venky Mysore.
The Kolkata Knight Riders posted a montage of their new head coach’s visit to their office on their official Instagram handle. In the video, Pandit can be seen exploring the Knight Riders head office and also shared his experience of being appointed as the man in charge of the former IPL champions. KKR hailed Pandit as the “Dronacharya of Indian domestic cricket" in their caption.
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Chandrakant Pandit replaces former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as the head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders. McCullum ended a three-year stint with KKR before taking up the responsibilities as England’s head coach.
Pandit has a stellar reputation as a coach. He won the Ranji trophy with Mumbai in 2003, 2004, and 2016. Perhaps, his biggest claim to fame is the immense success he has achieved with lesser-known teams like Madhya Pradesh and Vidharbha.
He led Vidarbha to their first-ever Ranji trophy title in 2017-18 and then proved that it was no fluke as he helped them defend their title for the next year. His most recent triumph was with an unfancied Madhya Pradesh side, leading them to their maiden title and etched his name as one of the most successful coaches of India’s top-flight domestic tournament.
Anything Pandit touches is turning to gold, and that might be the reason that KKR has decided to appoint him as the head coach. Pandit will be the KKR’s first Indian head coach and will work alongside his former Mumbai protege Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach) and Bharat Arun (bowling coach).
The 60-year-old coach will also reunite with KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer, whom he mentored during his transition from an Under-19 prospect to a vital cog in the senior Mumbai squad. Pandit was the head coach of Mumbai during Iyer’s breakthrough Ranji season in 2015-16 where he was the top scorer with a staggering 1321 runs.
KKR were crowned champions of the IPL twice, in 2012 and 2014. Since then, their best finish has been in the 2021 season where they reached the finals but were outperformed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. This year, they had a disappointing season as they ended their campaign at the seventh position and failed to make it to the playoffs. With Pandit at the helm of things, KKR will be hoping for redemption in the next edition of the Indian Premier League.
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