Abhishek Nayar spotted at Eden Gardens as Varun Chakaravarthy confirms his KKR return
Published - 18 Apr 2025, 11:45 AM | Updated - 18 Apr 2025, 02:54 PM
Varun Chakaravarthy took social media by storm by dropping a major hint that India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar had already rejoined the Kolkata Knight Riders in the middle of the ongoing IPL 2025 amid reports of him being sacked by the BCCI.
According to the media reports, BCCI sacked Abhishek Nayar from his role as assistant coach of the India National Cricket Team for various reasons, including his approach and the team’s disastrous performance in Test cricket last year.
Abhishek Nayar spotted in KKR camp after BCCI axe
Apart from Nayar, India's fielding coach T. Dilip and strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai have also been removed from their roles by the board. They have completed their three-year contract with the team, and BCCI’s rule says one can’t serve more than this period.
However, it is also said that media leaks on the Australia tour are one of the reasons behind the latest shake-ups in the coaching staff of the India National Cricket Team. Amid the bombshell, a Cricbuzz report suggested that Nayar is likely to join the Kolkata Knight Riders following his sacking.
His contributions to KKR are highly valued by the franchise, and hence, the doors might be open for him, said the report. Nayar was the assistant coach of the 2024 IPL-winning KKR coaching staff. He had joined the franchise in 2018 and was serving in different capacities over the years, including managing KKR’s cricket academy.
Varun Chakaravarthy hints at Abhishek Nayar’s return to KKR
Hours after the report, Abhishek Nayar was seen in the KKR camp, hinting at joining the defending champions in the ongoing IPL 2025.
Actually, Varun Chakaravarthy posted a picture of himself with Nayar on his Instagram Story from KKR’s practice session at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 17.
Varun did not caption or use an emoji to explain the photo, but he just tagged Nayar in stark and bold text. It added fuel to the buzz that India’s assistant coach returned to KKR after his sacking. However, Nayar was seen in casual wear, while Varun was seen in a KKR jersey and shorts. It is to be noted that the picture isn't of 2025.
Here's Varun Chakravarthy's viral post with Abhishek Nayar -
Notably, Varun and Nayar share a strong bond and have spent a lot of time together at KKR. Varun joined the team in IPL 2020, while Nayar was already an important part of the coaching staff.
Meanwhile, a powerful member of India’s coaching staff reportedly pushed for the removal of Nayar from his position, as he felt his presence in the dressing room wasn’t helping the team’s environment.
Sitanshu Kotak was brought in as the new batting coach ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 to gradually replace Nayar in the team’s coaching setup.
The top support staff member pushed for Abhishek Nayar’s exit!!
A BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI: “Just after the tour of Australia, there was a review meeting conducted by the BCCI. The top officials of the board, including secretary Devajit Saikia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla, were present along with important members associated with the Indian team and the national selectors.”
He added, “On the sidelines of the meeting, a powerful member of the support staff expressed his apprehensions about Nayar's presence and said how him being in the dressing room is proving to be counterproductive.
While the BCCI didn't act immediately, they brought in Kotak, the former Saurashtra run accumulator. It was a way of sidelining Nayar during the Champions Trophy.”
Read Also: Abhishek Nayar had a fight with Virat Kohli? Sensational update out on sacking
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