IPL 2024: KKR Coach Chandrakant Pandit accused of 'Militant Coaching' by former Knight Riders Star

KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit has been accused of his strict 'militant' coaching by a former Knight Riders overseas player.

Chandrakant Pandit came at the KKR helm in 2023 and it wasn't a fruitful year for them. The Knight Riders finished 7th in the league table and failed to make it to the playoffs.

But the on-field failure for the Kolkata players was somehow linked to the ultra-strict and sometimes out-of-bounds coaching by Chandrakant Pandit, as said by former KKR player David Wiese.

David Wiese was part of the Kolkata squad last year and played sporadically. But he has recently shared that the atmosphere in the team was not at its best and accused Pandit of that.

"There were certain issues going on behind the scenes in the team. Guys weren't happy with certain things that were going on, and a lot of the times, it was a tough changing room. There was a new coach coming in and he liked to do things a certain way, and that didn't sit well with the players," Wiese said on Speaking on Hitman for Hire: A year in the life of a franchise cricketer podcast.

The change which Pandit brought was not welcomed and he openly admitted that many of the overseas players were not in accordance with those rules.

"Guys were frustrated because a lot changed, and the coach brought in things that he thought would bring success. But as an overseas player, they sometimes don't sit well. He's known in India as a fairly militant type of coach, a strict disciplinarian. The overseas guys who've played all over the world don't need someone coming in and telling him how to behave and what to wear and what to do. I was chill with it, but there were players more stubborn than me," the Namibia international added.

KKR have retained Pandit for this season and the support staff enhanced with the arrival of former Kolkata captain Gautam Gambhir as a mentor. Also, the two-time IPL champions are bolstered with the arrival of captain Shreyas Iyer, who didn't feature last season with a back injury.