Abhishek Nayar returns to KKR fold after removal as India coach
Kolkata, Apr 19 (PTI): Days after his removal as India's assistant coach, Abhishek Nayar on Saturday returned to Kolkata Knight Riders fold but his exact role and position has not been specified by the IPL side.
Nayar was part of the KKR set up as an assistant coach and mentor when they lifted their third IPL title last year, a decade after their previous triumph in 2014.
He also played a pivotal role in player development at the KKR Academy.
"Welcome back home, Abhishek Nayar," KKR posted on X, confirming his re-entry into the team setup.
In an earlier post KKR revealed that he was back as assistant coach but soon deleted it from X.
BCCI had sacked support staff members Nayar, fielding coach T Dilip, and the conditioning coach Soham Desai following a performance review in the wake of India's dismal run in Test cricket.
Nayar had joined the national team in July 2024.
He is expected to be in the KKR dugout when the team clashes with Gujarat Titans on Monday at Eden Gardens. He was seen training with the team, engaging closely with players, and offering inputs during discussions.
There was a palpable buzz in the KKR camp around his re-entry, with several players seen interacting warmly with the returning coach.
Nayar, 41, has long been considered a key figure in the franchise’s cricketing operations. He was instrumental in setting up and managing the KKR Academy in Mumbai, which has been the team's training base for years.
He has also been the eyes and ears of KKR CEO Venky Mysore, especially in the lead-up to auctions, playing a critical role in player retention and recruitment strategies.
In fact, before Gautam Gambhir rejoined KKR ahead of the 2024 season as mentor, Nayar was said to have more influence on cricketing matters than head coach Chandrakant Pandit.
"Abhishek would never be out of work even though he has been sacked in a very hostile manner. Everyone in Indian cricket knew that the moment BCCI gets rid of him, KKR would have him back in their fold," an IPL source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
His close association with Gambhir, now India's head coach, has been a significant feature of his coaching journey.
SACKING FROM INDIAN TEAM LED TO KKR RETURN
Unhappy with India's performance, BCCI decided to make changes in the national team set up.
India suffered an unprecedented 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand, followed by a 1-3 series defeat -- first in a decade -- in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Despite earning praise for his work with players like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer, his future became uncertain after the BCCI brought in Sitanshu Kotak as batting coach for the England white-ball series earlier this year.
The BCCI has not issued any official communication regrading Nayar's termination.
Welcome back home, @abhisheknayar1 💜 pic.twitter.com/IwJQTnAWxa
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 19, 2025
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
MP minister's veiled remark on Col Sofia Qureshi sparks major row; he apologises, Cong seeks ouster
Bhopal/Indore, May 13 (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Vijay Shah has sparked a major controversy with objectionable comments that appeared to be directed at Col Sofia Qureshi, whom he tried to project as a "sister of terrorists."
Under severe flak, Shah said if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.
The Congress has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Shah from the Madhya Pradesh cabinet.
Colonel Qureshi had conducted regular press briefings, sharing details of the 'Operation Sindoor' launched by Indian armed forces to strike terrorists, joined by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.
"Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters (in the Pahalgam terror attack)..We avenged these 'kate-pite' people by sending their sister to destroy them," Shah said.
"They (terrorists) killed our Hindu brothers by making them remove their clothes. PM Modi ji responded by sending their (terrorists') sister in an Army plane to strike them in their houses. They (terrorists) made our sisters widows, so Modiji sent the sister of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson", the BJP leader said while addressing a gathering in Ramkunda village near Indore.
He said, "Revenge was taken for the honour of our country (India), respect, and for the (slain) husbands of our sisters by sending a sister from your (terrorists') community to Pakistan".
The tribal welfare minister clarified that his remarks should not be construed otherwise.
Shah's remarks drew wide-scale condemnation, with Congress demanding his immediate dismissal from the MP cabinet.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said Shah, who made 'derogatory' remarks in reference to Colonel Sofia Qureshi, should be dismissed immediately.
"A minister of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh has made a very derogatory, shameful and cheap remark about our brave daughter Colonel Sofia Qureshi. The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country, but the country was united during the entire 'Operation Sindoor' to give a befitting reply to the terrorists," Kharge posted on X.
He alleged that the BJP-RSS harbours an anti-women mentality.
"First, the wife of the naval officer martyred in Pahalgam was trolled on social media, then the daughter of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was harassed, and now the BJP ministers are making such indecent comments about our brave woman Sophia Qureshi," Kharge said and appealed to PM Modi to immediately sack Shah.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari shared the video of Shah on X and asked whether the BJP agrees with the minister's "low thinking"?
The MP Congress Committee alleged that Shah's "indecent' and hate-filled" statement is not just a personal attack, but an open attack on India's military dignity, national unity, and women's honour.
Amid the raging controversy, the BJP's Madhya Pradesh general secretary Hitanand Sharma summoned Shah to the state headquarters in Bhopal.
According to sources, Sharma reprimanded the minister, who also met the state BJP president, Vishnu Dutt Sharma.
Speaking to reporters, Shah sought to attribute the intemperate remarks to his "disturbed" state of mind in view of the brutal killing of innocent people in Pahalgam by terrorists.
He claimed many members of his family have a military background and many were martyred.
"Sister Sophia has brought glory to India by rising above caste and religion. She is more respected than our own sister. I salute her for her service to the nation.
"We cannot even think of insulting her in our dreams. Still, if my words have hurt society and religion, then I am ready to apologise ten times,'' he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Manoj Shukla and the party workers blackened the nameplate of Shah at his bungalow and raised slogans seeking his resignation.
'हमारी सेना की जांबाज बेटियां आतंकवादियों की बहन हैं'
— Congress (@INCIndia) May 13, 2025
- ये घटिया बात मध्य प्रदेश में BJP सरकार के मंत्री विजय शाह ने कही है।
भारत की जिन बेटियों पर सबको नाज है, उन बेटियों को लेकर ये शर्मनाक बयान दिया गया है। उन्हें आतंकवादियों की बहन बताया गया है।
ये हमारी पराक्रमी सेना का… pic.twitter.com/y591M3ky8G
