‘KKR is family to me’ – Abhishek Nayar reflects on emotions attached with Knight Riders' set-up
"Everyone throws his weight way too much around the fact that it’s family, but for me, I think it’s family because the speed at which I came back [to the team]," said Nayar.
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Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar is set to begin a new chapter in his coaching career, taking up his first full-time head coaching role in the Women’s Premier League. Following his exit from the Indian team setup, Nayar has been onboarded by the UP Warriorz as their head coach, a franchise yet to secure a WPL title.
The former KKR batting coach addressed recent developments after his appointment, which comes months ahead of the next edition of the tournament. Reflecting on his return to the KKR setup, which occurred prior to any official announcement about his departure from the Indian team, Nayar remarked that the franchise has always felt like home to him.
“KKR is family to me. Everyone throws his weight way too much around the fact that it’s family, but for me, I think it’s family because the speed at which I came back [to the team] was a testament to the fact that that’s where I belong in a lot of ways,” Nayar said as quoted by India Today.
WPL 2026: Abhishek Nayar joins UP Warriorz as head coach
For the first time in his coaching career, the former cricketer will take charge of a senior team in a full-time capacity within Indian cricket. Nayar described the opportunity to be part of the WPL as an exciting new challenge and one he is eager to embrace.
“I’ve always looked at anything as opportunities, and this is an opportunity, which I’m very, very excited for in that regard. The opportunity is to create a culture where everyone understands that this franchise plays to win trophies, and try to bring that mentality into our ecosystem,” Nayar said.
As he prepares to take on a significant role in the UP Warriorz set-up ahead of the upcoming season of the marquee women's tournament, Nayar highlighted some of the key changes he has observed in the landscape of women’s cricket in India.
“WPL will impact not only Indian cricket, but also Indian domestic cricket. It is very different from the first year in a WPL trial, where I felt many people were more touch players. Now you can see so much more power entering the game. You can see the girls diving around, throws are flat, throws are faster. There’s enormous growth and that’s not going to stop,” he concluded.
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