IPL: KKR announces Ranji legend Chandrakant Pandit as McCullum's replacement as head coach

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday announced that Ranji Trophy fame Chandrakant Pandit would be the team's new head coach in the upcoming season. KKR released a statement on its official website where it confirmed Chandrakant Pandit's appointment as the team's new head coach. The star Indian domestic coach recently helped his home state of Madhya Pradesh win their first-ever Ranji Trophy title. 

Talking about his appointment, Pandit said it's a great honour for him to be given the responsibility to coach KKR in the upcoming season. Pandit stated that he is excited and is looking forward to the opportunity of working with the players and support staff who are already associated with the franchise. KKR CEO Venky Mysore welcomed Pandit to the Knight Riders family and said they are looking forward to his partnership with skipper Shreyas Iyer. 

"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," Chandrakant Pandit said. 

"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," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in his announcement. 

Chandrakant Pandit's career

Pandit represented the national side in 36 ODIs and five Test matches. He scored 171 runs in Tests and 290 runs in ODI cricket at averages of 24.42 and 20.71 respectively. His career in domestic cricket is far more decorated as he claimed 419 dismissals in both List A and first-class combined. He also scored over 10,000 runs (8,209 in first-class and 2,033 in List A) with 22 centuries and 56 half-centuries.

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