Nayar brings a wealth of coaching experience to the setup. Before retiring in 2019, Nayar, a mainstay of Mumbai's first-class cricket team, participated in three One-Day Internationals for India. His career path has since shifted to coaching. After serving as the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders academy in 2018, he became an assistant coach with the KKR support staff. In the CPL 2022, Nayar was also the head coach of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR).

Nayar became close to his coach Gautam Gambhir while he was at KKR, and the two of them worked together to help the team win its third IPL championship in 2024. Nayar joined the Indian team as an assistant coach after Gambhir was named head coach that same year; however, his contract was canceled less than a year later. After serving as KKR's backroom staff from 2018 to 2024, he later returned as their assistant coach for the 2025 Indian Premier League.

"It feels like a natural and exciting step forward for UP Warriorz to have Abhishek Nayar on board as head coach," Kshemal Waingankar, COO and director of cricket for UPW, told ESPNcricinfo. "It was obvious when someone of Abhishek's caliber became available. When it comes to developing players and winning cultures, few in Indian cricket have the same breadth of experience.

"Abhishek has contributed to three championship-winning campaigns in the last 18 months alone, each in a different capacity and making a significant impression. We are ecstatic to have him head a cohesive, fearless, and growth-driven Warriorz team. We think this team can do something genuinely remarkable under Abhishek's leadership."

In August 2023, Nayar led UPW in a week-long off-season camp in Bengaluru, despite the fact that he had never coached a women's team. Over the years, he has also had one-on-one sessions with several Indian players, both international and uncapped.

In order to fully realize Dinesh Karthik's ability as a finisher in T20 cricket, Nayar was essential. Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi have all given Nayar credit for their comeback in batting at different points in time.

KL Rahul acknowledged Nayar more recently, saying, "Over the past year or so, I've worked really hard on my white-ball game. Many thanks to Abhishek Nayar. Since he joined the Indian team, I've collaborated with him frequently.

The WPL hasn't been the best for UPW thus far. In the first season of 2023, they advanced to the playoffs but were defeated in the elimination round by the eventual winner, the Mumbai Indians. Since then, in 2024 and 2025, respectively, they have placed second to last in the five-team points standings.

UPW has participated in 25 WPL games over the course of several seasons, losing 15 and winning 10. Following Alyssa Healy's injury-related withdrawal from the tournament, Deepti Sharma was selected as their WPL 2025 captain.

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The head coach of the UP Warriorz is Abhishek Nayar.

Jul 25, 2025 10:22 AM

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