Just weeks before India’s Test tour to Sri Lanka, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate vacated his post to join former Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday. The three-time IPL winners announced Ten Doeschate’s appointment as their new Head of Cricket Strategy.
“In his new role, Ryan will lead the strategic direction for scouting, player recruitment, squad planning and performance evaluation across the Knight Riders network. He will work closely with the coaching teams to help build a consistent cricketing philosophy and approach across all Knight Riders franchises. As part of his role, he will also serve as Assistant Coach for Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 and Los Angeles Knight Riders in the MLC,” KKR said in its statement.
Ten Doeschate was previously associated as a player with KKR in 2011 and was subsequently part of their title-winning squads in 2012 and 2014. He returned to the franchise as a coach in 2022 and became a part of KKR’s third IPL triumph in 2024 before taking on the role as India’s assistant coach.
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“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,” Doeschate said.
While Ten Doeschate had the option of seeking an extension like India bowling coach Morne Morkel, it is understood that the former Netherlands captain was keen on exploring opportunities on the franchise circuit.
Besides Ten Doeschate, India have also relieved fielding coach T. Dilip from his role after a year’s extension.
“Ryan and Dilip’s contracts have ended and we are not extending them,” Saikia told The Indian Express. “Dilip was already on a one-year extension, which ended on June 8, and Ryan’s ended on June 10. In another two-three days, we will name their replacements,” the secretary added.
