Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 21 (ANI): Former wicketkeeper-batter Dishant Yagnik has been appointed as the fielding coach of the three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition on Wednesday, according to a release.

The 42-year-old has played 50 First-Class matches, scoring 1754 runs in 83 innings at an average of 24.70. Yagnik has made one century and nine half-centuries.

In List A cricket, the former wicketkeeper-batter has notched up 945 runs in 41 matches and 40 innings at an average of 25.54. Yagnik made two centuries and four half-centuries.

The left-handed batter scored 662 runs in 56 matches and 46 innings in T20 cricket, along with three half-centuries.

He also made appearances for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) between the 2011 and 2014 editions of the IPL. In 25 matches, Yagnik made 170 runs at an average of 17.00. Since his retirement, he has continued to be a part of the IPL ecosystem as a fielding coach across several seasons.

Yagnik will bring a wealth of experience and a sharp eye for fielding excellence to three-time champions KKR, with the franchise set to enter the IPL with a fresh, new-look support staff unit led by Abhishek Nayar (Head Coach), DJ Bravo (Mentor) Shane Watson (Assistant Coach), Tim Southee (Bowling Coach) and Andre Russell (Power Coach).

Kolkata Knight Riders full team list for IPL 2026:

Players retained ahead of auction: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Players bought at auction: Cameron Green (Rs 25.20 crore), Finn Allen (Rs 2 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 18 crore), Tejasvi Singh Dahiya (Rs 3 crore), Kartik Tyagi (Rs 30 lakh), Prashant Solanki (Rs 30 lakh), Tim Seifert (Rs. 1.50 crore), Daksh Kamra (Rs 30 lakh), Sarthak Ranjan (Rs 30 lakh), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 75 lakh), Akash Deep (Rs 1 crore), Rachin Ravindra (Rs 2 crore).

Kolkata Knight Riders full squad for IPL 2026: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep. (ANI)