2 min learnMar 19, 2026 12:11 AM IST
Kolkata Knight Riders new head coach Abhishek Nayar on Wednesday termed the arrival of Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani as a “blessing in disguise”, because the franchise seems to be to regroup after a forgettable final season and purpose for a fourth IPL title.
Addressing the squad throughout their first coaching session on the Eden Gardens, Nayar made a pointed reference to the late alternative of Mustafizur Rahman, welcoming Muzarabani into the fold.
“Blessing, you’re a blessing in disguise for us,” the 42-year-old former India all-rounder, who has been a longtime a part of KKR arrange underneath Gautam Gambhir, stated in his opening pep-talk.
Nayar was elevated to go coach forward of IPL 2026 after KKR parted methods with Chandrakant Pandit following an eighth-place end final season.
Nayar had additionally not too long ago taken cost of Girls’s Premier League aspect UP Warriorz, who completed final within the five-team 2026 season.
“I do know to this point we’ve form of folded you within the bus, however it’s nice to have you ever, the tallest member ever to be a part of this KKR crew. So welcome, I hope you’ve gotten a good time with us and also you benefit from the firm of our boys,” Nayar stated.
Some welcomes, some comebacks 💜 pic.twitter.com/tC0lwFVzSQ
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 18, 2026
Muzarabani, who picked up 13 wickets within the T20 World Cup to complete joint second-highest, together with a match-winning 4/17 towards Australia, was the centre of consideration on the session.
The Zimbabwe fast, who has greater than 200 worldwide wickets, is but to make his IPL debut regardless of having a earlier stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru as a alternative participant in 2025 for Lungi Ngidi.
KKR had initially signed Mustafizur for Rs 9.2 crore as a backup abroad pacer to Rs 18 crore recruit Matheesha Pathirana, however the Bangladesh left-armer was launched following BCCI directives earlier this yr amid heightened India-Bangladesh tensions.
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The difficulty escalated to the extent that Bangladesh pulled out of the T20 World Cup refusing to play in India, with Scotland coming in as alternative.
The Zimbabwean has since joined KKR on a Rs 75 lakh deal after opting out of the Pakistan Tremendous League.