Kolkata, July 30: Three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have parted ways with head coach Chandrakant Pandit, two months after the conclusion of one of the franchise’s worst seasons in history. Pandit was at the helm when KKR won the title in IPL 2024, but the side plummeted to their joint-worst finish of eighth in IPL 2025. Kolkata Knight Riders took to social media to confirm Pandit’s departure, also stating that the 63-year-old has decided to “explore new opportunities”.“Mr. Chandrakant Pandit has decided to explore new opportunities and will not continue as Head Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders,” the franchise said in a statement.
“We are thankful for his invaluable contributions – including leading KKR to the IPL Championship in 2024 and helping build a strong, resilient squad. His leadership and discipline have left a lasting impact on the team. We wish him all the very best for the future,” the statement further said.
Pandit was appointed as head coach of the Knight Riders in August 2022, looking ahead to the 2023 season. A serial winner in Indian domestic cricket, Pandit could only manage a seventh-place finish in IPL 2023, with then-team captain Shreyas Iyer missing the season due to injury.
Upon the return of Iyer as captain and Gautam Gambhir as team mentor, Pandit steered KKR to a dominant title win in IPL 2024. KKR set a record for the most number of points achieved in a single season in the franchise’s history, and also set the record for the highest net-run-rate (NRR) achieved by any IPL team in a league season.
However, following the mega auction, KKR went on to have a season to forget in IPL 2025. The franchise finished in eight spot, their joint-worst in IPL history. KKR won only five out of their 14 league games in IPL 2025, crashing out of playoff contention with two games remaining.