Defending Champions KKR Sign Ottis Gibson as Assistant Coach
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have added a former West Indies head coach to their coaching staff ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025), which is set to begin on March 22. On Saturday, March 8, the defending champions appointed Ottis Gibson as their assistant coach for the upcoming season.
Gibson brings valuable experience to the Knight Riders. He coached the West Indies from 2010 to 2014 and helped the team clinch the 2012 T20 World Cup. The 55-year-old will work with head coach Chandrakant Pandit, mentor Dwayne Bravo, bowling coach Bharat Arun, and spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe.
Kolkata Knight Riders Announce Ottis Gibson as Assistant Coach for IPL 2025
The Kolkata Knight Riders officially announced the appointment of Ottis Gibson as their new assistant coach. The team welcomed Gibson to their coaching staff through an official post on social media. “We are pleased to welcome our Assistant Coach, Ottis Gibson. He joins our strong support staff, which includes mentor Dwayne Bravo, head coach Chandrakant Pandit, bowling coach Bharat Arun, spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe, and others,” KKR tweeted.
Ottis Gibson served as England’s bowling coach during two separate periods: from 2007 to 2010 and again from 2015 to 2017. He was also the head coach of South Africa from 2017 to 2019 and has coached various T20 franchises. Between 1995 and 1999, Gibson represented the West Indies in 15 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Test matches. Additionally, he had brief stints with the Bangladesh national team and the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, while also mentoring several T20 franchises.
Defending Champions Name Ajinkya Rahane as Skipper for IPL 2025 Season
The defending champions will have a revamped coaching staff for the upcoming IPL season. Gautam Gambhir, who served as the mentor for the Knight Riders in 2024, has been appointed as the head coach of Team India. He will be joined by assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate in the coaching setup.
Additionally, KKR will have a new captain for the upcoming season. Ajinkya Rahane has been named the skipper, with Venkatesh Iyer taking on the role of vice-captain. Rahane has previously led the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants and the Rajasthan Royals; however, he hasn’t captained an IPL team since 2019.
Defending Champions Set to Commence IPL 2025 Campaign in Season Opener
Shreyas Iyer led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title last year. However, the franchise chose not to retain him and did not buy him back during the mega auction in December. KKR retained most of their core players from the championship-winning squad, including Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh. They purchased Venkatesh Iyer for ₹23.75 crore at the auction and signed Ajinkya Rahane at his base price of ₹1.5 crore.
The Kolkata-based team will begin their campaign on March 22 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens, aiming to defend their title in the tournament.
Conclusion
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made key changes ahead of IPL 2025, strengthening their coaching staff by appointing Ottis Gibson as assistant coach. The team has also named Ajinkya Rahane as their new captain, with Venkatesh Iyer as vice-captain. As the defending champions, KKR aims to retain their title and continue their strong performances. Their campaign will begin on March 22 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens, where they will look to start the season on a winning note.
