Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 29 (ANI): Knight Riders Sports announced the appointment of Ryan ten Doeschate as its Head of Cricket Strategy, marking his return to the Knight Riders family in a role that will oversee cricket strategy, talent acquisition and development across its global franchises.

In his new role, Ryan will lead the strategic direction for scouting, player recruitment, squad planning and performance evaluation across the Knight Riders network, according to a release.

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.

Venky Mysore, CEO, 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.'

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.'

Ryan's journey with the Knight Riders family started first as a player for KKR in 2011 & 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, the release said.

Earlier, ten Doeschate stepped down as India's men's assistant coach following the conclusion of the white-ball series in England, according to ESPNcricinfo.

The former Netherlands cricketer informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision during the UK tour, where India suffered defeats in both the T20I and ODI series. India lost 4-0 to England in the T20I series and 2-1 in the ODI series.

Ten Doeschate, the former Netherlands captain, had been part of India's coaching set-up since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach after Rahul Dravid stepped down following India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Personally selected by Gambhir, Doeschate became an important member of the support staff, contributing across both batting and fielding departments.

During his tenure with India, Doeschate was part of the coaching group that helped the team win the 2025 Asia Cup and successfully defend the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup title. However, India's Test side endured a difficult transition during the same period, suffering a Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat in Australia and a home series whitewash against New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-2). (ANI)