Former England spinner Gareth Batty has stepped down as the head coach of Surrey to join Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as an assistant coach ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Cricbuzz reported.
Batty concluded a highly successful five-year tenure as Surrey's head coach. He famously guided the English county side to three consecutive County Championship titles between 2022 and 2024, making them the first team in nearly 60 years to achieve a hat-trick of titles.
Batty's transition into the CSK backroom staff reunites him with newly appointed head coach Zaheer Khan. The two previously played together for English county side Worcestershire.
"The new journey is a very exciting one for my family and I with CSK in the IPL and I'm looking forward to getting going," Batty said while speaking about his move to CSK, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Gareth Batty will join the five-time champions immediately to assist the leadership group ahead of the upcoming IPL retention deadline on November 15. Following the retentions, he will help draft the franchise's strategy for the mega auction scheduled for mid-December in Goa.
Following a disappointing eighth-place finish in the 2026 season and missing the playoffs for three consecutive years, CSK are undertaking a massive overhaul of their coaching department.
Former India pacer Zaheer has been named the new head coach, replacing Stephen Fleming, who relinquished the post following a historic 16-year tenure. Bowling coach Eric Simons is also out of the coaching staff, with former India pacer Mohit Sharma being handed the responsibilities. The franchise has parted ways with their long-serving batting coach Michael Hussey as well.
According to several reports, MS Dhoni, CSK's legendary captain and stalwart, is playing a decisive role in the coaching changes at the franchise. Earlier, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan himself confirmed that Zaheer Khan’s name was suggested by Dhoni.
“It was not an administrative decision. The cricket committee decided this. It was MS’s suggestion. He spoke to captain Rutu (Ruturaj Gikwad) and both had a discussion with owner Rupa (Gurunath) and thus the decision was arrived at," Viswanathan had told Cricbuzz.
