Guiding an elite athlete involves correctly initiating discussions initially
Abhishek Nayar's Multifaceted Coaching Journey in 2025
Abhishek Nayar, the experienced cricketer turned coach, made waves in 2025 as he took on coaching roles across different cricket formats and genders. His diverse portfolio included serving as the head coach of the UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League (WPL), assistant coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and a brief stint as assistant coach for the Indian men's cricket team.
Nayar's journey began with the UP Warriorz, marking his first full-time head coaching role for a women's franchise team. Simultaneously, he served as assistant coach for KKR, a men's T20 franchise team that won the IPL title in 2024. His involvement with KKR continued into the 2025 season.
In early 2025, Nayar was part of the Indian men's cricket team's coaching staff as assistant coach when India won the Champions Trophy. After his departure from the national team coaching staff in February 2025, he shifted focus towards franchise-level coaching.
Apart from formal roles, Nayar has a history of mentoring and coaching prominent male Indian batsmen such as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Dinesh Karthik across formats. In 2025, his coaching spanned both men’s and women’s cricket, engaging with T20 franchise teams (IPL and WPL) and contributing significantly to high-profile international tournaments and domestic leagues.
Nayar's Coaching Philosophy
Nayar's approach to coaching top cricketers involves identifying both skill and mind-related problems. His coaching style is based on understanding the needs of the player and identifying the root problem. He makes plans and strategies that change over time, and these can include small adjustments such as changing the guard or stepping out to a specific ball.
In conversations with NCA coaches, Nayar has sought to understand how to speak to women cricketers effectively. His coaching style may differ slightly when speaking to men and women, reflecting his adaptability to the needs of each individual player.
A Varied Coaching Resume
Nayar's coaching resume for 2025 includes coaching in various cricket formats and teams, both men's and women's, across different leagues and academies. In skill, Nayar identifies whether the problem is technical or tactical. He has worked with Mumbai cricketers in the past and has also worked with women cricketers in coaching roles.
One of Nayar's most notable collaborations was with Rohit Sharma, whom he worked with to develop tactics for scoring in T20 matches. Nayar's strategies for Sharma involve using certain tactics early in batting to overcome specific bowlers. This partnership began when Sharma reached out to Nayar to overcome the disappointment of the 2011 ODI World Cup snub.
In summary, Abhishek Nayar's varied 2025 coaching roles demonstrate his versatility in coaching across gender and format boundaries. His ability to adapt and evolve his coaching style to keep up with the expectations of players across different formats has made him a sought-after coach in the cricket world.
| Cricket Format | Gender | Role | Team/Assignment | |------------------|----------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------------| | Women's T20 | Women | Head Coach | UP Warriorz (WPL) | | Men's T20 | Men | Assistant Coach | Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL) | | International ODI/T20 | Men | Assistant Coach (until Feb) | Indian Men’s National Team | | Domestic T20 Mentorship | Men | Mentor/Coach | Various players and T20 leagues |
Abhishek Nayar's diverse coaching portfolio continued beyond the Indian men's cricket team, overseeing a women's T20 franchise team, the UP Warriorz, as their head coach in the Women's Premier League (WPL). He also continued his role as assistant coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), simultaneously coaching across both genders.
Moreover, Nayar's coaching involvement extended to mentoring and coaching prominent male Indian batsmen such as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Dinesh Karthik, demonstrating his expertise in coaching men's cricket as well as women's.
