On Wednesday (August 17), the Kolkata Knight Riders made the announcement that Chandrakant Pandit will be taking over as the team’s head coach. Brendon McCullum, who has taken up the same post with the England men’s Test side, has been replaced by Pandit, who will turn 61 the following month.
Pandit, indicating that he was willing to accept the new challenge, said, “Being entrusted with this duty brings with it a significant degree of honour and privilege. I have heard from players and others who have been affiliated with the Knight Riders about the atmosphere of the organisation being one of a family and the tradition of success that has been established.
I am ecstatic about the calibre of the support personnel as well as the players who are a part of the set up, and I am looking forward to this chance with all humility and with good hopes.”
Pandit, a former keeper-bat for India, was the captain of Madhya Pradesh’s team during the previous domestic season, which resulted in the state’s first-ever victory in the Ranji Trophy. Pandit won his sixth overall first-class title as a coach with this victory.
During his six-year international career that spanned from 1986 till 1992, Pandit participated in a total of five tests and 36 one-day internationals for India. After he retired from playing, he turned his attention to coaching, and the teams he worked with to win back-to-back Ranji Trophy championships were Mumbai (2003 and 2004) and Vidarbha (2018 and 2019).
Pandit’s selection will allow him to rejoin with Mumbai star Shreyas Iyer, who was selected KKR captain after the big shift that occurred the previous year. “We are very happy that Chandu is joining the Knight Riders family to lead us through the next part of our journey,” Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR, said in a statement.
“Chandu will bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the team.” “Everyone can plainly see his unwavering devotion to his work, as well as his impressive record of achievement in the realm of domestic cricket. His collaboration with our skipper Shreyas Iyer, which looks like it will be an interesting one, is one that we are looking forward to.”
