India, July 29 -- Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, will have a new head coach in the 2026 edition of the tournament as Chandrakant Pandit has decided to move on from the franchise and explore "new opportunities." KKR had a poor IPL 2025 campaign as the Ajinkya Rahane-led team finished at the eighth spot in the points table with just 5 wins from 14 matches.

Ever since the season ended, there has been speculation about Chandrakant Pandit's future, and finally, the inevitable has been confirmed. Pandit was roped in as the KKR coach in August 2022 ahead of the IPL 2023 edition.

KKR won the tournament in 2024 under Chandrakant Pandit's tenure. However, Gautam Gambhir, the franchise's mentor, ...