KKR sack IPL-winning coach Chandrakant Pandit after horror season
KKR and Chandrakant Pandit have parted ways after three seasons. The veteran coach leaves the post after a horrendous season for the three-time champions in IPL 2025.
New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have sacked veteran coach Chandrakant Pandit after a horror season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 edition. The developement comes two months after the conclusion of the 18th edition of the cash-rich league, where they plummeted to their joint-worst finish of eighth.
Pandit led KKR to their third IPL title in 2024, but the horror show in 2025 has led to his departure. KKR shared a social media post to confirm Pandit's departure, mentioning that the seasoned coach has decided to "explore new opportunities".
"Mr. Chandrakant Pandit has decided to explore new opportunities and will not continue as Head Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders," the franchise said in a statement.
"We are thankful for his invaluable contributions - including leading KKR to the IPL Championship in 2024 and helping build a strong, resilient squad. His leadership and discipline have left a lasting impact on the team. We wish him all the very best for the future," the statement said.
Pandit's up and down spell with KKR
Pandit took the reins at KKR in August 2022, way ahead of the 2023 season, replacing Brendon McCullum, who joined the England cricket team as their head coach. Coming on the back of guiding Madhya Pradesh to a historic Ranji title, Pandit, in the absence of the-then KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer (out injured), could only manage a seventh-place finish in IPL 2023.
However, upon the return of Iyer as the leader of the team and Gautam Gambhir as team mentor, Pandit guided KKR to a title win in IPL 2024. During the historic season, KKR set multiple records, including the most points achieved in a single season in the franchise's history, and also a record for the highest net-run-rate (NRR) achieved by any IPL team in a league season.
A year later, things took a turn for the worse for KKR after the franchise released title-winning captain Iyer ahead of the mega-auction in December and finished eighth after winning only five out of their 14 league games in IPL 2025.
Meanwhile, according to a TOI reporter, former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has parted ways with KKR and is set to join Chennai Super Kings as the bowling coach.