Kolkata, March 8 (NationPress) The reigning champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, have revealed that former West Indies fast bowler Ottis Gibson will be joining the franchise as an assistant coach in preparation for the 2025 Indian Premier League season.

A former fast bowler hailing from Barbados, Ottis boasts an impressive record with over 650 first-class wickets. He played for the West Indies in both Tests and ODIs from 1995 to 1999 before transitioning into coaching. His coaching career is highlighted by two notable tenures as the bowling coach for the England Cricket Team during 2007-10 and 2015-17.

From 2010 to 2014, he was the head coach of the West Indies, leading the team to its inaugural ICC World T20 championship in 2012 in Sri Lanka. Following this, he served as the head coach for the South African national team from 2017 to 2019, and has since taken on various coaching roles within the T20 franchise circuit.

In anticipation of the 2025 season, KKR has made significant adjustments to both their roster and coaching staff. Last year’s victorious captain, Shreyas Iyer, was released prior to the mega auction and subsequently signed by Punjab Kings, where he was appointed captain. In his stead, Ajinkya Rahane has been appointed as the new captain, with Venkatesh Iyer as his deputy.

With Gautam Gambhir stepping down after IPL 2024 to assume the role of India’s head coach, Dwayne Bravo has been brought in as the team's mentor. The remainder of the coaching team remains largely intact, with Chandrakant Pandit continuing as head coach, aided by Bharat Arun, Carl Crowe, Nathan Leamon, and others.

KKR is poised to begin their IPL 2025 campaign against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on March 22.