Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced the appointment of former Australia national cricket team all-rounder Shane Watson as their new assistant coach on Thursday, November 13.

Shane Watson will spend the next few seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with new head coach Abhishek Nayar’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), starting from 2026.

We are delighted to welcome Shane Watson to the KKR family – Venky Mysore

In an official statement issued by KKR, CEO Venky Mysore said that they are delighted to have secured the services of Watson, who knows the pulse of T20 cricket very well. He said:

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“We are delighted to welcome Shane Watson to the KKR family. His experience as a player and coach at the highest level will add huge value to our team culture and preparation. His understanding of the T20 format is world-class and we look forward to his contribution on and off the field.”

Meanwhile, Shane Watson said that he is honored to join the iconic Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise. He said:

“It is an honor to be part of an iconic franchise like Kolkata Knight Riders. I have always admired the passion of KKR fans and the team’s commitment to excellence. I am eager to work closely with the coaching staff and players to help Kolkata win another title.”

What a great day, Knights of Watteo! 🙌

Welcome to the big family, @ShaneRWatson33 💜 pic.twitter.com/hpOclOv7LA

— Kolkata Knight Riders (@KKRiders) November 13, 2025

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Shane Watson brings a wealth of experience

Watson is regarded as one of the best all-rounders to have represented Australia’s national cricket team in all three formats of the game. During his extremely successful career, he played 59 Test matches, 190 ODI matches and 58 T20 Internationals.

Watson has scored over 10,000 runs in international cricket and taken over 250 wickets. He also won the 2007 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the 2015 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with Australia.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he played 145 games for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings, scoring 3874 runs while picking 92 wickets.

Shane Watson takes over as Delhi Capitals head coach

After announcing his retirement from international cricket, Shane Watson transitioned into coaching and has held coaching and coaching roles with different teams across the globe.

He served as the assistant coach of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2022 and 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Apart from IPL, he has also worked in Major League Cricket (MLC) and Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Watson served as the head coach of the San Francisco Unicorns of the Major League Cricket (MLC) for three years and in 2024 became the head coach of the Quetta Gladiators of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), after a poor run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, will be hoping to turn things around quickly with the addition of Watson.

Notably, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, had a poor performance the next season as they finished eighth in the points table.