Chandrakant Pandit appointed Kolkata Knight Riders head coach

The former India international replaces Brendon McCullum who steered the franchise to the final in 2021

Kolkata Knight Riders have appointed Chandrakant Pandit as their new head coach.

The 60-year-old, who made 41 appearances for India between 1986 and 1992, replaces Brendon McCullum, who stepped down from the role earlier this year to become England's red-ball head coach.

During McCullum's three-year tenure, KKR failed to reach the knockout stages in 2020 and 2022 but did appear in the final in 2021, losing to Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs.

Pandit is a well-respected coach on India's domestic circuit, notably steering unfancied sides Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh to first-class titles in the past five seasons.

^{Pandit replaces Brendon McCullum [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

According to ESPNcricinfo, he will continue to coach Madhya Pradesh in all formats in 2022/23.

Pandit said: "It's a great honour and privilege to be given this responsibility. I have heard from players and others who have been associated with the Knight Riders, about the family culture, as well as the tradition of success that has been created.

"I am excited about the quality of the support staff and the players who are part of the set up and I am looking forward to this opportunity with all humility and positive expectations."

KKR CEO, Venky Mysore, added: "We are very excited that Chandu is joining the Knight Riders family to lead us through the next phase of our journey. His deep commitment to what he does and his track record of success in domestic cricket, is there for everyone to see.

"We are looking forward to his partnership with our skipper Shreyas Iyer, which promises to be an exciting one."

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