Bharat Arun, former bowling coach of the Indian national team, has stepped down from his role at Kolkata Knight Riders and is set to join the Lucknow Super Giants, the franchise confirmed on Wednesday, July 30. Renowned for shaping India’s formidable pace attack during Ravi Shastri’s tenure, Arun will now be part of Justin Langer’s coaching setup at LSG.
Since joining KKR in January 2022, Arun focused on nurturing fast bowlers like Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, both of whom struggled with recurring injuries. Despite this setback, he successfully developed a fresh pace unit for the team, featuring promising talents such as Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana.
During his stint with KKR, Bharat Arun was part of the coaching staff that led the team to an IPL title in 2024, with standout performances from Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana in the bowling department. He now moves to Lucknow Super Giants, where he will work alongside legendary Indian pacer Zaheer Khan, who serves as a mentor for the franchise.
Lucknow Super Giants have consistently focused on developing a strong Indian fast-bowling unit, but regular injury problems have disrupted this plan. The team includes pacers such as Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Akash Deep, and Avesh Khan.
However, injuries affected their availability—Mohsin missed last season, and Mayank played only a few matches. Bharat Arun’s responsibility will be to guide these bowlers back to fitness and help them balance performing at their best with managing their workload.
KKR Begin Major Restructure After Chandrakant Pandit’s Exit and Disappointing 2025 Season
On Tuesday, July 29, Kolkata Knight Riders confirmed the exit of head coach Chandrakant Pandit, marking the end of his three-year stint with the franchise. If Bharat Arun’s departure is also confirmed, it signals the start of a major overhaul within the team following a disappointing season.
KKR’s performance in the 2025 IPL season fell short of expectations, partly due to some questionable decisions made during the mega-auction. The team struggled to find consistency both at home and away, ultimately finishing 8th out of 10 teams with just 5 wins in 14 matches.
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