"One wakes up at 5 AM, the other goes to sleep at 6 AM" - Harbhajan Singh's hilarious take on KKR's coaching staff ahead of IPL 2025

Former spinner Harbhajan Singh highlighted the stark contrast among the key members of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coaching staff. The defending champions had to make significant changes to their support staff following Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, and Ryan ten Doeschate's departure after the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

KKR executed a significant coup during the off-season by roping in Dwayne Bravo as a mentor from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The former all-rounder has led the Trinbago Knight Riders to multiple Caribbean Premier League titles in the past and held a coaching role with the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 (ILT20).

The Caribbean ace is known for his flamboyant lifestyle which arguably does not align with head coach Chandrakant Pandit's philosophy. The former domestic circuit coach is known to be a disciplinarian, with several instances of his strict regime revealed over the years.

Harbhajan Singh remarked that the dynamic between the two figures in the coaching staff could play a significant role during the season.

"They are two completely different personalities - one who wakes up at 5 AM, the other who goes to sleep at 6 AM. So, we'll have to see how they combine and work together as well," Harbhajan Singh said on ESPN Cricinfo.

Apart from new figures in the coaching staff, KKR also have a new captain at the helm. Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane was recently appointed as the leader of the side, ahead of Venkatesh Iyer.

"If KKR have picked Rahane only for captaincy, then I feel that job could have been done by someone else" - Harbhajan Singh

KKR have managed to keep the majority of their batting core from the previous season intact. Although the franchise lost out on Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana, they managed to bring back Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi from the auction. On the other hand, the likes of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine were retained.

Ajinkya Rahane comes into the mix with a lot of uncertainty. His place in the playing XI as captain is fixed, but there is no clarity regarding the batting position.

"Rahane is going to have to wrestle with what his role and position is in this batting line up. KKR have a lot of power hitters down the order - Venky Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell - so he cannot bat there. Rahane's best chance is at No.3, because the openers are fixed," Harbhajan Singh opined.

"If KKR have picked Rahane only for captaincy, then I feel that job could have been done by someone else, like Narine, Russell, or Venky. If KKR lose an early wicket, then I can see a role for Rahane. But, if he has to bat after 12-13 overs, that is not his strength," he added.

KKR will kickstart their campaign with the season-opening clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens on Friday, March 22.