Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders had finished in 7th place in Indian Premier League 2026 season earlier this year.
Published: July 29, 2026, 11:01 AM IST
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Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. (Photo: IANS)
Three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) endured a difficult season in IPL 2026, finishing in 7th place on the Points Table and failed to progress to the Playoffs stage. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan-owned KKR had the biggest budget heading into the IPL 2026 Player Auction last year but for the second year in the succession failed to reach the Playoffs.
Now ahead of the IPL 2027 Player Auction later this year, KKR have made a big move by bringing back former Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate into their support staff. Knight Riders Sports, announced the appointment of Ryan ten Doeschate as their Head of Cricket Strategy. He will return to the Knight Riders family in a role that will oversee cricket strategy, talent acquisition and development across their global franchises.
Welcome home, Tendo pic.twitter.com/Ut7hWqMAsA
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) July 29, 2026
In his new role, Ten Doeschate 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.
“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,” Knight Riders Sports CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.
Commenting on his appointment, Ryan ten Doeschate said: “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.”
Former Netherland all-rounder’s journey with the Knight Riders family, started first as a player for KKR in 2011 and he was a key member of the title-winning squads in IPL 2012 and 2014. He later became an important part of the coaching group in 2022 and during their third IPL championship title in 2024.
BCCI decided not to renew Ryan ten Doeschate and T. Dilip contracts
Earlier on Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the contracts of Ten Doeschate as Team India assistant coach and fielding coach T. Dilip will not be renewed. “The BCCI continued with the duo till the end of India’s tour of United Kingdom. However, the BCCI is not giving them any extension. There is no question of accepting resignation as the contract has ended,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.
“We are currently in talks with two to three names (for fielding coach role) and expect to finalise the details within a day or two. India will have a new fielding coach for tour of Sri Lanka (in August),” Saikia added.
Ten Doeschate was part of the Team India support staff since head coach Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid following the team’s 2024 T20 World Cup title win.
