Kolkata, Mar 20 (PTI) With a host of opening options and a revamped squad at their disposal, Kolkata Knight Riders’ new head coach, Abhishek Nayar, said on Friday that finding the right combinations remains the three-time champions’ biggest challenge ahead of IPL 2026.
Having overhauled their squad after a disappointing 2025 season, KKR have brought in big names such as Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra, but are yet to finalise their batting order.
“I’m terrible at predicting what can go wrong, but I can just tell you, I don’t know how the tournament will pan out, but I think initially, it’s making sure we get a fit playing XI come (March) 29th,” Nayar said here at their season’s first media interaction.
KKR begin their campaign against Mumbai Indians away on March 29.
KKR, who finished eighth last season with just five wins, will also have a new opening combination in the absence of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Quinton de Kock.
The explosive New Zealand pair of Allen and Seifert, who recently stitched a record 117-run stand at Eden Gardens to knock out South Africa from the T20 World Cup semifinal earlier this month, are among the frontrunners.
With Sunil Narine, who also opens, a certainty in playing XI, selecting the remaining three overseas players — amid a pool that includes Green, Allen, Seifert, Ravindra and potentially Matheesha Pathirana — will be another selection headache.
“I think that is a priority right now, making sure we get our combinations right. Because I always believe when you have new combinations in this IPL, it’s about making sure you get your team peaking, yes, everyone in form, but positioning them well enough for them to succeed.
“So I think that as a group will be our first challenge and the rest we’ll see as it comes,” Nayar said.
KKR’s middle-order struggles last season, where the Nos 4-8 failed to deliver consistently, remain an area of concern, but Nayar stressed that past performance would have little bearing on the new campaign.
He cited the example of Sanju Samson and how he overcame poor form in the build-up to the T20 World Cup and produced three match defining fifties to help India clinch a historic treble.
“We saw that with Sanju Samson in the World Cup as well. It’s about being there at that moment in this tournament. So we’re very hopeful that our players can start strong.
“And if you’re in good form, it doesn’t matter what your name is in this format of the game. I think form counts a lot more than what’s happened in the past,” he added.
“I’ve always believed T20 cricket is a game of momentum. It’s a game of form. So what happened a year ago doesn’t really matter as to what’s going to happen.
“I think something that is going to be really important is the kind of form our boys hit this season. And if everyone is at the peak of their prowess, you expect this team to do really well like they did a year before last. So I honestly believe that it’s not so much of what happened in the past.
Abundance of riches: Watson ===================== Assistant coach Shane Watson echoed that sentiment, calling KKR’s batting resources both a strength and a selection headache.
“The beauty of this KKR squad is the amount of incredible world-class batting options that we do have this season. It’s an abundance of riches with the calibre of players we do have.
“Where they all fit in, that’s going to be a challenge for the leaders of this organisation to be able to try and get those combinations as right as we possibly can from game one and then make the little adjustments that need to be throughout the tournament as well,” Watson said.
“Obviously, with Cam Green, the quality of cricketer he is as an all-rounder, wherever he gets an opportunity, I know he’ll really be wanting to make the most of that.
“But yeah, the beauty is we’ve got some serious power, world-class players and a great blend of experience and youthful energy as well. So it’s very exciting to see exactly how that’s going to play out throughout the tournament.” We’ve best spin attack: Bravo ===================== The franchise, however, has had to deal with setbacks in the pace department. Harshit Rana has been ruled out, while there remains uncertainty over Pathirana’s availability.
Despite the setbacks, mentor Dwayne Bravo expressed confidence in the bowling unit, particularly the spin attack led by Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.
“Yeah, I think in any tournament with any team, once you lose some of the key bowling options, these are not things you plan for, but these are things you have to accept.
“The good thing about Indian cricket, especially at the moment, there’s a lot of depth.
“There’re the likes of Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi… These guys are also players who have played IPL before. They are young, exciting talents. So for me personally, I’m happy, along with Tim (Southee), to work with this group of fast bowlers.
“We have the best spin duo in the entire competition. So from a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine.
“Also, don’t forget Vaibhav (Arora), who had a fantastic season last year. So yeah, we lost some key players, but I feel comfortable to know that we have what it takes to replace those guys,” Bravo said. PTI TAP TAP AH AH
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