Ryan ten Doeschate Leaves India Coaching Role, Heads Back to KKR

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-07-29

Ryan ten Doeschate has officially stepped away from his role as India's assistant coach following the white-ball series in England. He informed the BCCI while the team was still in the UK, where India lost both the T20I and ODI series. Now, he's set to reunite with the Kolkata Knight Riders in a coaching capacity. It wasn't just ten Doeschate walking out the door. Fielding coach T Dilip is also on his way out, as the BCCI has decided not to renew his contract either. So, what happened, and what does this mean for the Indian setup moving forward? Let's break it all down. ### The Contract Situation Explained BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed to PTI that ten Doeschate's contract ended on June 10, while Dilip's wrapped up on June 8. The board kept both coaches on through the UK tour to maintain stability, but they won't extend their terms beyond that. Saikia made it clear there was no formal resignation to accept—the contracts simply ran their course. It's a clean break, not a messy split. The BCCI is already talking to two or three candidates for the fielding coach position and expects to finalize a name within a day or two, just ahead of India's tour of Sri Lanka in August. ### Ten Doeschate's Journey With Team India Ten Doeschate joined the India setup after Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach from Rahul Dravid, following the team's 2024 T20 World Cup win. Gambhir handpicked him for the role, and he worked across both batting and fielding departments during his tenure. The results during this period were impressive, to say the least. India secured victories at the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2025 Asia Cup, and they retained their 2026 Men's T20 World Cup trophy. That's a pretty solid resume for any coaching stint. However, the Test team told a different story. India was in a transition phase and struggled mightily. They couldn't win the 2025-26 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, and they suffered crushing home series defeats to New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-2). It's a mixed legacy, but the white-ball success can't be ignored. ### A Long-Standing Bond With KKR At KKR, ten Doeschate will reunite with Abhishek Nayar, another coach with deep ties to the franchise. The two had briefly worked together as assistant coaches in the India setup, and before that, they had also coached together at KKR. Ten Doeschate's history with the Kolkata franchise goes way back to his playing days. He won two IPL titles with KKR, in 2012 and 2014, and later returned as fielding coach in 2022. He remained part of the coaching staff until 2024, a stretch that included a title win under Chandrakant Pandit as head coach and Gambhir as mentor. He left that role only when Gambhir moved on to coach the national team. ### Dilip's Second Stint Comes to an End Dilip is exiting after his second spell with the Indian team. He first served as fielding coach from 2021 until the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He returned for a second stint during India's Test tour of the UK in 2025, which lasted a year. His departure, combined with ten Doeschate's, leaves the BCCI with the task of rebuilding its support staff before the Sri Lanka tour gets underway. The board hasn't named a timeline for appointing ten Doeschate's replacement as assistant coach, though the fielding coach decision is expected imminently. ### What's Next for Team India? Here's what we're watching for in the coming weeks: - The BCCI will likely announce a new fielding coach within days. - An assistant coach replacement for ten Doeschate is still up in the air. - The Sri Lanka tour in August will be the first real test for the revamped staff. It's a period of transition, but with the white-ball success still fresh, there's reason for optimism. The Test team has work to do, but the coaching shakeup could bring fresh energy. For more cricket news and updates, keep an eye on the JeetWin Blog.