Abhishek Nayar returns to KKR support staff

Abhishek Nayar has returned to the support staff for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The news comes just one day after it became public that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had made the decision not to extend his contract as the national team's assistant coach. "Abhishek Nayar has been added to our support staff once more. On Saturday, April 19, a statement from the franchise stated, "He is likely to be at training at Eden today." Curiously, his appointment—or, more accurately, reappointment—comes before the BCCI has officially announced his departure from the national team. However, it is clear that the BCCI has decided not to keep a number of support staff members, including Nayar, who was head coach Gautam Gambhir's deputy for nearly ten months. He has also been let go, as have fielding coach T Dilip and strength and conditioning trainer Soham Desai. It has been learned that a senior member of the BCCI personally called each of the three support staff members to let them know that their contracts would not be renewed. Even though the board was pleased with the performance of the two coaches, it had decided to reduce the size of the support staff, making contract renewals impossible. It was only a matter of time before Nayar returned to the KKR team. In point of fact, he was in charge of the KKR academy as well. On Saturday evening, Nayar was observed at the Eden as KKR prepared for their Monday match against Gujarat Titans. Nayar joins a support staff that includes, among others, head coach Chandrakant Pandit, bowling coach Bharat Arun, and mentor Dwayne Bravo.