Ex-India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate appointed Knight Riders' Head of Cricket Strategy
New Delhi, July 29
Former India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has been appointed as the Head of Cricket Strategy at Knight Riders Sports, marking his return to the franchise in a global role that will see him oversee talent acquisition, squad planning, and development across its various leagues.
In his new role, ten Doeschate will lead the strategic direction for scouting, player recruitment, squad planning, and performance evaluation. He will collaborate closely with coaching staff to establish a uniform cricketing philosophy across all Knight Riders teams.
Additionally, ten Doeschate will double up as the assistant coach for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in UAE's International League T20 (ILT20), and Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket (MLC).
"I'm excited to be back with the Knight Riders in this role. This is a unique opportunity to work with the coaching & analytics teams across our global franchises to strengthen our scouting/player development systems, and to build a long-term cricket strategy," he said.
Ten Doeschate shares a long-standing association with the Knight Riders group. He joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a player in 2011 and was an integral member of their Indian Premier League (IPL) title-winning sides in 2012 and 2014.
He later transitioned into a coaching role with the franchise in 2022, and was in the support staff for their third IPL title win in 2024. Welcoming him back to the setup, Venky Mysore, CEO of Knight Riders Sports, said, "We are delighted to welcome Tendo back to the Knight Riders family.
"His deep understanding of our philosophy, combined with his experience across franchise and international cricket, makes him ideally suited for this role. He will help shape the next phase of growth across the Knight Riders ecosystem."
A batting stalwart for Netherlands, ten Doeschate was drafted into India men's support staff after Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach following the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup triumph. As an assistant coach in Gambhir's think-tank, he worked closely with both the batting and fielding setups.
During his tenure as assistant coach, India enjoyed significant success in white-ball cricket, winning the 2025 Champions Trophy, the 2025 Men's T20 Cup, and successfully defending their Men's T20 World Cup title in 2026.
However, his stint coincided with a challenging phase for the transitioning Test side, which suffered a 0-3 series loss at home to New Zealand, a 0-2 defeat against South Africa, and a loss in the 2025/26 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
His contract had ended in June, but he continued till the white-ball series against England, where India lost both T20I and ODI series. A chief reason behind ten Doeschate exiting the Indian team set-up was due to the longer travel periods with the team, which kept him away from his young family based in London.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While Ryan is a solid coach, I hope this doesn't mean KKR will neglect Indian talent. We've seen foreign coaches sometimes overlook domestic players. But his track record with scouting and analytics is impressive – let's see how he balances local and international talent across leagues.
Tendo is a gem! Remember his 2014 IPL season? Absolute class. His experience with the Indian team during the Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup wins will be invaluable for Knight Riders. Also, it's good he can be closer to his family now – family first always! ❤️
The article mentions he had to leave the Indian setup due to travel and family – totally understandable. But losing him after the England series whitewash is a blow to the Indian team. However, KKR's gain is India's loss. His strategic mind is exactly what franchise cricket needs globally.
First GG leaves, now Tendo. Our support staff is changing too quickly for my liking. But for KKR, this is brilliant – he knows the franchise ethos inside out. The global cricket strategy role is innovative; most teams still operate in silos. Venky Mysore is thinking ahead! 🏏
I'm a bit skeptical. His tenure as India assistant coach saw struggles in Tests – 0-3 to NZ at home is unacceptable. Yes, white-ball success was there, but Test cricket is our true measure. That said, his scouting skills are proven – remember how he helped KKR find Varun Chakravarthy? Let's hope for more such finds.
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