Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar said the franchise has put in significant work behind the scenes to help Rinku Singh rediscover his touch after a sluggish start to IPL 2026.
Rinku’s opening phase had been marked by starts that never quite kicked on—scores of 4, 1 and 6 in three of his first five innings. Since then, he has amassed 207 runs across his most recent four innings without getting out, striking at a rate of 172. On Wednesday, he struck an unbeaten 49 off 29 deliveries to steer KKR to 192 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur, on a surface that offered more for batting than it had earlier in the RCB–Mumbai Indians contest.
Explaining what KKR tried during the patch, Nayar said after the team’s defeat to RCB: “When we weren’t performing the way we wanted, one of the things we focused on was a lot of centre-wicket practice to rebuild confidence. The same thinking applied to Varun [Chakravarthy] and to Rinku as well. They are both key parts of our group and they didn’t start the tournament strongly. Naturally, the approach differs for each of them, but for Rinku, getting him back in the middle was central.”
Nayar also highlighted a specific technical tweak he believes has played a major role in reigniting Rinku’s finishing: “If you look closely, his early movement has changed. He’s now walking across instead of how he used to. We worked out that could be beneficial, and since he hadn’t done it before, we added it to his batting. It made a difference. A lot of effort went into getting these guys back, because it’s never simple.”
In Nayar’s view, the turnaround could not rely only on small alterations to mechanics or trigger movements. He stressed that restoring belief was equally important, and KKR have therefore committed attention to the mental side of the game as much as the technical one.
“Having access to grounds and making sure we spent time in the heat also helped,” he said. “Getting his mindset back into a belief system—believing he can clear the boundary, believing he can find the fours and sixes, and understanding what he can do both technically and tactically to make that happen. So there was a lot of groundwork.”
Rinku’s improvement has broadly reflected KKR’s own momentum. The two-time champions have now won four of their last five matches and remain in the playoff mix even after the loss on Wednesday. KKR sit eighth in the standings with nine points from 11 games, and they will need to win all of their next three fixtures, with each of those matches scheduled at home. Nayar suggested the resurgence has been fueled as much by the team environment as by the work on skills.
“Honestly, from the beginning of the competition, one decision we made together was to stay consistent,” he said. “Consistent in the way we handle our processes as a team.”
“In the IPL, I think maintaining that environment is among the hardest tasks because of all the outside noise and pressure. We try to create a space for the players where they feel comfortable being themselves. Because sometimes this tournament can take that away from you.”
Nayar also addressed the strain that extended lean spells can place on players, particularly in a high-scrutiny league where public opinion and social media commentary never stop.
“From the outside, people don’t realise what a player goes through,” he said. “It’s really difficult for an individual to go through not having a good game and then come back, and the volume of messages they receive—sometimes even from close friends or family—makes it tough. So for us, it was about shaping an environment where they felt secure, where they felt they could still go out and play regardless of the result.”
That approach, Nayar said, is also why KKR have been hesitant to keep shuffling their personnel during their difficult stretch. It also helps explain why the team has continued to back Rovman Powell as a finisher, while leaving Matheesha Pathirana—despite the significant money invested in him—waiting on the bench.
“I’ve been there as a player, so I wanted to make sure that as a coach I stay consistent, and the support staff stays consistent too. Everyone needs to feel that they haven’t let the team down,” he said. “When you walk into an IPL, everyone wants to win. There’s nobody who isn’t going to give their best, and nobody who doesn’t want to produce.”
“But sometimes you have to accept that things don’t always fall your way. People talk about luck, about the rub of the green—sometimes it doesn’t go your way, and you have to accept that.”
Nayar added that KKR’s revival—while it may have arrived slightly later than ideal—has been possible because the group kept faith with its preparation and training methods even when results were not coming.
“For me, it’s the environment, the processes around preparation, having a lot of open nets, making sure the players still get centre-wicket practice to keep confidence alive—those are the things we did, and we stayed consistent with the plan as a squad,” he said. “We didn’t make a lot of changes because I don’t believe in making lots of changes. We backed the players we’ve trusted for a long time and hoped the results would follow.”
Looking ahead, Nayar expressed hope that Varun Chakravarthy—who is dealing with a toe fracture—will be fit for KKR’s next game as the side returns to Eden Gardens to press for a playoff spot.
“One of the reasons behind our improvement has been the Varun–Sunil [Narine] combination, and Anukul [Roy] has played his part too,” he said. “Our fast bowlers have been finishing games really well. Today was an exception—we didn’t bowl to our usual level compared to how we have across the tournament so far.”
“Still, we’re always excited to come back home. The fans are there, and we want to make sure that when Varun returns in the next match, we get our strong bowling unit back together and use home conditions to our advantage,” Nayar added.
