Ajinkya Rahane for KKR Ravindra Jadeja for Rajasthan Royals. Image Credits: X
On January 21, the three-time IPL champions confirmed the newest member of their support staff for the forthcoming season, as they announced Dishant Yagnik as the fielding coach in the Abhishek Nayar-led group.
This addition comes after a shaky 2025 season, where they went in as the defending champions, but only managed to win five matches and ended the season in 8th position. He will join a star-studded line-up of former players who will look to bring back the best from their squad to bounce back from the disappointing 2025.
Dishant Yagnik joins KKR from RR
Yagnik, who is appointed as the new KKR fielding coach, was previously a consistent part of the Rajasthan Royals setup since his time as a player from 2011 to 2014, where he represented them in 25 matches, accumulating 170 runs as a fringe player.
Later on, since the Royals returned from their ban in 2018, he joined them as a fielding coach till season 2025, spending 8 years as an integral part of Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara-led support staff.
Apart from his time with RR, he has represented the Rajasthan state team across Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, playing 147 matches for the state and scoring over 3000 runs in the domestic circuit with three hundreds and 16 fifties.
KKRβs new-look coaching staff
With the latest addition of the 42-year-old, following the new head coach Abhishek Nayar and assistant coach Shane Watson, KKR go into the season with a young brigade of coaches, who look set to lead the team into the new era.
Hereβs the full list of KKR support staff members:
1. Abhishek Nayar β Head Coach
2. Dwayne Bravo β Mentor
3. Shane Watson β Assistant Coach
4. Tim Southee β Bowling Coach
5. Andre Russell β Power Coach
6. Dishant Yagnik β Fielding Coach
7. Nathan Leamon β Analyst
8. Prasanth Panchada β Physio
9. Abhishek Sawant β Assistant Physio
10. Chris Donaldson β Strength and Conditioning coach
11. Sagar VM β Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach
12. Subhajit Das β Massage Therapist
13. Adrian Wayne Bentley β Team Manager
Kolkata's high aspirations for IPL 2026
After a massively disappointing season, where they also faced rain-affected no results, KKR went all out in the auction to revamp their squad and bring fresh faces into the mix, leaving out the legendary Andre Russell, who went on to join their support staff as well.
In the Ajinkya Rahane-led outfit, the onus to bring the team back on track will be shared among big names like Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana, while they have also included crucial names like Cameron Green, Finn Allen and Matheesha Pathirana in the mix.
As things stand, this squad will need a bit of time to gel together; however, the star power at Rahaneβs disposal is completely capable of turning the results back in their favour and challenge for the playoffs and subsequently the title. How quickly they find their best team combination will be the key, and Nayar, who is widely praised, will play a big part in it.
