Chandrakant Pandit, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2024 Indian Premier League title as head coach, has parted ways with the franchise, which shared the news on Tuesday, July 29. KKR posted a montage of photos from Pandit's tenure as head coach on Instagram, announcing his departure."We wish you the best for your future endeavours, Chandu Sir. PS: Once a Knight, always a Knight. Kolkata will always be your home (sic)," the franchise shared.See the post here: View this post on Instagram Instagram PostPandit joined KKR as head coach after the 2022 IPL season. Although he couldn't achieve much in his first season leading the franchise, he went on to win the 2024 edition of the lucrative league with fellow Mumbaikar Shreyas Iyer as captain.The former India wicketkeeper-batter is a highly successful coach, having led Mumbai to three Ranji Trophy titles in 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2015-16. He also guided Vidarbha to back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in 2017-18 and 2018-29.Under his guidance, Madhya Pradesh won their first Ranji Trophy in the 2021-22 season, defeating a talented Mumbai team in the final. As director of cricket at Rajasthan, he also led them to their second Ranji Trophy title in 2011-12. A renowned cricketer, Pandit played five Tests and 36 ODIs for India from 1986 to 1992.Kolkata Knight Riders ended IPL 2025 in the eighth spotDespite winning the IPL in 2024, KKR failed to recreate their heroics in the following season and finished in eighth place. This may have been one of the reasons behind Pandit's dismissal from the franchise.However, it must be noted that they came relatively close to making it to the playoffs, having won five out of the 14 matches they played. In their last three games, KKR were defeated twice, while one match was abandoned.Had things turned out for them differently in those last three matches, KKR may still have made it to the playoffs. Nonetheless, the franchise will now look to bring on a new head coach ahead of the 2026 edition of the tournament.