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Abhishek Nayar has had his fair share of success as an assistant coach, but things take a different turn when he steps into the role of head coach. Whether it’s the Women’s Premier League or the Indian Premier League, his track record as a full-time head coach has been far from stellar. It’s interesting to note that this downturn began after he was let go from his position as assistant coach for the India cricket team in October 2025, shortly before he took on the head coaching roles for both UP Warriorz and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Unfortunately, Nayar’s journey as a full-time coach has started off on a rough note. UP Warriorz ended up at the bottom of the points table in WPL 2026, and now KKR finds themselves in a similar predicament even before reaching the halfway mark of IPL 2026. In total, Nayar has faced defeat in 11 out of 14 matches as head coach a record he surely wishes to forget. 

Nayar was part of KKR’s support staff until 2024, when he joined Gautam Gambhir’s Team India support team. However, after disappointing performances against New Zealand and Australia, he was relieved of his duties in 2025. Almost right after, he was appointed as KKR’s new head coach and also took charge of UP Warriorz.

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It’s worth mentioning that Nayar had a long tenure as the head of KKR Academy and served as the batting coach when they clinched the IPL trophy after a decade in 2024, before moving on to the Indian team. 

Yet, his stint as head coach has been less than impressive. Looking at UP Warriorz’s performance in WPL 2026, the team finished at the bottom of the table with only 2 wins and 6 losses from 8 matches, even after a major overhaul at the mega-auction. While there’s no denying his talent for developing players and shaping their skills—something he’s done with numerous stars—he just hasn’t been able to deliver results with the franchise.

Nayar's troubles only deepened in IPL 2026, as his team has managed to win just 1 out of the 6 matches played under his leadership. He took over from Chandrakant Pandit, the coach who guided them to their third title in 2024. Even with an impressive track record and a knack for helping players find their form, the former India assistant coach has struggled to turn things around for KKR this season.