IPL 2026: ‘He knows every cricketer’ - Shane Watson praises Abhishek Nayar’s role in KKR overhaul

Australian veteran Shane Watson praised Abhishek Nayar’s deep understanding of the domestic cricket circuit, calling it the real masterstroke behind the scenes for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After a disappointing

outing in the previous IPL season, KKR underwent a major overhaul, revamping both their playing squad and coaching panel to signal a fresh start ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

The franchise made key additions, bringing in international stars such as Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, and Cameron Green, while also securing talented domestic players. Watson highlighted Nayar’s pivotal role in these decisions, emphasising his sharp eye for talent and vast cricketing knowledge. According to Watson, it was Nayar’s strategic planning and insight into the domestic setup that laid the foundation for KKR’s ambitious rebuild and renewed optimism among fans.

“I’ll say this straight away. I think Abhishek Nayar knows just about every cricketer on the planet. His understanding of Indian domestic players, their stats, where they’re at, what they’ve been doing recently, the depth of his intel is extraordinary. I’m not sure I’ve come across anyone with that level of knowledge across Indian cricket,” said Watson on KKR’s YouTube channel.

Having served KKR for several years, Nayar was entrusted with even greater responsibility, being appointed head coach ahead of the upcoming season. After last year’s disappointing campaign, the three-time champions are aiming for a strong comeback in IPL 2026. Watson revealed that Nayar’s auction blueprint played a key role in their rebuild, with his strategic planning and talent identification helping the franchise assemble a balanced and competitive squad.

“Going into the auction, I had complete confidence that even if we missed out on any domestic player we were targeting, Abhishek would already have had two or three alternatives lined up with clear insight into their strengths,” said Watson.

“He was regularly sending me videos, breaking down each player’s performances across every possible scenario. That level of preparation gave us enormous confidence. Leaning on Abhishek’s intel, we knew things were going to work out well for us in the auction,” he added.