IPL 2026: KKR announce Tim Southee’s return to franchise as bowling coach, after naming Shane Watson as assistant coach

Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday announced the appointment of New Zealand star Tim Southee as the team’s Bowling Coach for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 season. It marks the continued revamp of the KKR’s backroom staff. A couple of weeks ago, the franchise had announced Abhishek Nayar as the new head coach of the team, succeeding Chandrakant Pandit following the conclusion of the IPL 2025 campaign. Interestingly, Nayar is also the head coach of UP Warriorz for the upcoming Women’s Premier League season. KKR followed that up with the confirmation that Shane Watson as the Assistant Coach.

One of the most accomplished fast bowlers of his generation, Southee has been a cornerstone of New Zealand cricket for over 15 years. Having represented his country in 100+ Test matches, over 150 ODIs, and 120+ T20 Internationals, Southee has claimed more than 700 international wickets across formats. He captained New Zealand in multiple formats and played a pivotal role in their 2019 ICC World Cup campaign and the 2021 ICC World Test Championship victory.

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