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Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nair has parted ways with a different T20 franchise midway through IPL 2026.
The development comes at a crucial time for KKR after their defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday. Although KKR is not yet out of IPL 2026 due to the defeat, the expectations are diminishing every minute.
KKR’s four-match winning streak ended with Virat Kohli’s century.
After not winning any of their first 6 matches, KKR looked to be on the comeback trail by winning 4 matches in a row until they faced RCB and Virat Kohli in Raipur on Thursday.
By modern T20 standards, KKR’s first innings was certainly unpredictable after RCB decided to bowl first. Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck again in the powerplay to dismiss Finn Allen who was looking dangerous. Ajinkya Rahane could not take advantage of his start and Cameron Green scored some runs, but not at such a fast pace.
Thanks to Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s half-century and Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 49 runs, RCB got the target of 193 runs, which ultimately proved to be inadequate.
Jacob Bethel departed early, but Virat Kohli survived the opportunity as he was dropped on 21 and hurt. Kohli and Padikkal put the match firmly in RCB’s grip by scoring 92 runs in about 10 overs.
Karthik Tyagi made things a little difficult with his three wickets, but Kohli scored an unbeaten century as RCB were home in the last over.
Abhishek Nair will be the head coach
Following his departure as India’s assistant coach under Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nair was appointed as the head coach of both Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and UP Warriors in the WPL.
As head coach of the Warriors, Nair was criticized for his unorthodox decision making, which at times backfired. Despite many believing that they were the best team on paper, UPW finished last in the WPL 2026.
Even Abhishek Nair has not been able to change the fortunes of KKR. After finishing eighth in IPL 2025, KKR remains at the same position in IPL 2026. After 4 wins and no result in 11 matches, time is running out for KKR to make a comeback in the tournament.
Also Read: “It’s all God’s grace”: Virat Kohli after equaling Rohit Sharma’s legendary IPL record
Abhishek Nair confirms his exit from Maratha Royals
According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Abhishek Nair has ended his association with Maratha Royals in the T20 Mumbai League. Nair served as a mentor to the franchise last year when they won the tournament.
Batsman Siddhesh Lad will lead the team this year, while former Mumbai all-rounder Amit Dani will remain their head coach. Dani will also be accompanied by Jude Singh and Omkar Khanwilkar as assistant coaches.
In today’s Mumbai Mirror 🙂 pic.twitter.com/epHuKFezT2
– Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) 14 May 2026
Nair himself confirmed this on the occasion of IPL 2026. This means that he will remain the head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and UP Warriors in the WPL.
The fourth edition of the T20 Mumbai League will take place from June 1 to June 13 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, as announced by the Mumbai Cricket Association.
2026 Women’s T20 Mumbai will also host the first edition of the league.