KKR muddies water on Abhishek Nayar’s role with 'deleted' social media post

Abhishek Nayar who was recently removed as Indias assistant coach has joined Kolkata Knight Riders support staff team the IPL side announced on Saturday but his exact role and position has not been specifiedWelcome back home Abhishek Nayar KKR posted on X conforming his reentry into the team setupWelcome back home abhisheknayar1 pictwittercomIwJQTnAWxamdash KolkataKnightRiders KKRiders April 19 2025Nayar was part of the KKR support staff as assistant coach and mentor when they lifted their third IPL title in 2024 a decade after their previous triumph in 2014 He also played a pivotal role in player development at the KKR AcademyWelcome Back Abhishek Nayar has officially joined KKR midway through IPL 2025 pictwittercomUcubPKeovJmdash KKR Karavan KkrKaravan April 19 2025In an earlier post KKR revealed that he was back as assistant coach but soon deleted it from XNayars exit from the Indian team setup comes in the wake of a performance review by the BCCI following Indias dismal run in Test cricket late last yearIndia suffered an unprecedented 03 whitewash at home against New Zealand followed by a 13 series defeat first in a decade in Australia during the BorderGavaskar TrophyClosely associated with India head coach Gautam Gambhir Nayar had joined the national team in July 2024Despite earning praise for his work with players like KL Rahul Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer his future became uncertain after the BCCI brought in Sitanshu Kotak as batting coach for the England whiteball series earlier this yearIncidentally the BCCI has not issued any official communication confirming Nayars terminationSpeculation about the decision has pointed to concerns within the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI over the growing size of the support staff A source told IANS ldquoSome people in the Board had been saying about whats the point of having so many people in mens team support staff especially after the debacle of Test series defeat in Australia They had this view that with so many coaches there the support staff of the mens team gave a crowded lookrdquoHowever the decision is not being framed as a sacking but rather an effort to streamline the support system ldquoSo this cant be called sacking its just about giving the support staff a lean look Also this cant make the likes of Nayar Dilip and Desai as good or bad coaches because they still have a lot more to offer to Indian cricket and shaping its future players added the sourceNayar has been widely credited by Indian players including KL Rahul for helping instill a mindset transformation in whiteball cricket Similarly Dilip received accolades for raising Indiarsquos fielding standards to elite levels during his tenure The masseur too is believed to have served the team for several yearsGoing forward Nayar and Diliprsquos responsibilities will reportedly be taken over by batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and assistant coach Ryan ten DoeschateatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params