Tim Southee, ex-New Zealand captain and former KKR participant, joins Kolkata Knight Riders as bowling coach for IPL 2026, providing his huge expertise to information the tempo assault.
Published: March 17, 2026 9:15 PM IST
IPL 2026: Ahead of the nineteenth version of the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Vaibhav Arora is concentrating on bettering his sport and honing his abilities in preparation for IPL 2026.
The 28-year-old pacer from Ambala, who debuted for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023, has grabbed a complete of 36 wickets in 32 IPL matches up to now, boasting a powerful strike price of 17.72. He was additionally instrumental in KKR’s title-winning IPL 2024 marketing campaign, choosing 11 wickets in 10 matches.
As Kolkata Knight Riders put together for the upcoming season, Arora has been working laborious within the coaching camp, refining varied elements of his bowling. “Overall, the preparation is solid. We’re playing practice matches and also honing our variations in the nets. As a fast bowler, you always want to prepare well and improve your skills so that you can execute them effectively in match situations,” he stated.
Arora opened up on his probability to study from New Zealand’s star Tim Southee
Arora is worked up to study from his former teammate Tim Southee, who has joined Kolkata Knight Riders because the bowling coach for this season. The ex-New Zealand captain brings huge expertise to the position, with over 700 worldwide wickets to his title, and he beforehand performed for KKR throughout three seasons from 2021 to 2023.
Arora opened up on his probability to study from New Zealand’s star pacer Tim Southee and stated, “Tim Southee is a legend with tons of experience. We’ve been teammates with KKR before in 2023 and I learned a lot from him then. Now that he’s our bowling coach, I’ll get more time to work with him and learn from his experience to improve my skills. There’s a lot I can learn from him and it’s going to be fun working with him.”
Arora is keen to broaden his bowling arsenal and modify to the various situations he’ll encounter all through the season. “As you must have seen at Eden Gardens last year, the new ball swings only for the first three or four overs, maximum. After that there is no swing because of the conditions and the nature of the wicket. So, the variations become very important in those situations,” he defined.
KKR to taken on Mumbai Indians of their IPL 2026 opener
Arora additional emphasised on the importance of sustaining each tempo and management whereas bowling at totally different lengths in a T20 match. Looking forward, Arora acknowledged that the workforce’s precedence is to keep up their preparation and keep prepared for the subsequent part of coaching in Kolkata. “Our mindset is focused on going to the next camp in Kolkata and being mentally and physically prepared to give 110% there,”he concluded.
Kolkata Knight Riders will face Mumbai Indian of their IPL 2026 opener on the iconic Wankhede Stadium on March 29, adopted by match in opposition to Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 2, Punjab Kings on April 6, Lucknow Super Giants on April 9 on the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
