Just like Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate has left his role as assistant coach for Gautam Gambhir at Indian cricket team to join the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise. 

KKR has appointed former Netherlands all-rounder Doeschate as its new Head of Cricket Strategy, bringing him back to the franchise where he enjoyed success as both a player and coach. In his new role, ten Doeschate will oversee cricket strategy, player scouting, recruitment, squad planning and talent development across the Knight Riders' global teams. Not just at KKR, but across all the sister franchises of the KKR unit. 

Ryan ten Doeschate returns to KKR in a bigger role

The move comes right after his stint with Team India wrapped up. It isn't a surprise as there were rumours for him rejoining the KKR franchise a long ago as well. The appointment was made shortly after his two-year contract with the Indian team ended following the limited-overs tour of England, with the former Netherlands all-rounder not seeking an extension.

At Knight Riders, he will also work closely with the coaching groups to develop a unified cricketing philosophy across the franchise's teams. In addition, ten Doeschate will serve as assistant coach for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 and Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket. 

Ten Doeschate said he was excited to return to the Knight Riders setup. "This is a unique opportunity to work with the coaching and analytics teams across our global franchises to strengthen our scouting and player development systems, and to build a long-term cricket strategy," he said.

Ten Doeschate first joined Kolkata Knight Riders as a player in 2011 and was part of their IPL title-winning squads in 2012 and 2014. He returned to the franchise as a coach in 2022 and was a member of the support staff that helped KKR secure their third IPL title in 2024 before joining Gautam Gambhir's India coaching staff later that year.