New Delhi, March 26 -- Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra spoke on Abhishek Nayar's first season as head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and the challenges that lie ahead for Nayar.

While Nayar has prior experience as an assistant and batting coach, this is his first major leadership role, and the IPL presents a much bigger challenge.

Chopra also pointed out concerns around captain Ajinkya Rahane, who wasn't the original choice and may lack strong external backing. He added that KKR will need sharp tactics to succeed, especially given a bowling attack that appears weak.

"This is Abhishek Nayar's first big assignment. He has worked with a WPL team, a very different sort of assignment where h...