IPL 2027: Who is Gareth Batty, CSK's new assistant coach under Zaheer Khan?

Gareth Batty is set to join Chennai Super Kings as an assistant coach ahead of IPL 2027, leaving Surrey after guiding the English county side to three consecutive County Championship titles from 2022 to 2024.

In Short

• Gareth Batty will join Chennai Super Kings as assistant coach for IPL 2027.
• Batty led Surrey to three consecutive County Championship titles from 2022 to 2024
• He played 24 years in county cricket, taking over 1,000 wickets and scoring 10,000' runs

Chennai Super Kings are set to bring in a coach with a wealth of experience in English domestic cricket when Gareth Batty joins the five-time IPL champions as an assistant coach for the 2027 Indian Premier League season. Batty will leave Surrey after leading the club to three consecutive County Championship titles, bringing an end to a 21-year association with the south London side.

Batty took charge of Surrey in 2022 and guided them to the County Championship title in his first season. The team retained the trophy in 2023 and completed a hat-trick in 2024, becoming the first side in nearly 60 years to win the competition three times in a row. Surrey finished runners-up in 2025.

His move to CSK marks a new chapter in a career spent largely in English county cricket, first as a player and later as a coach. But Batty also has international experience, having represented England in all three formats.

WHO IS GARETH BATTY?

Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, on October 13, 1977, Batty is a right-arm off-spinner who built his reputation as a reliable performer in county cricket. He began his professional career with Yorkshire before moving to Surrey, where he played from 1998 to 2001. He later represented Worcestershire before returning to Surrey in 2009.

Batty played more than 700 professional matches during a career that lasted 24 years. He took over 1,000 wickets across formats and scored more than 10,000 runs, underlining his ability as a lower-order batter as well as a bowler.

At Surrey, he took more than 500 wickets across formats and became the club's joint-highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket. He also captained the side between 2015 and 2017 before retiring in 2021 and moving into coaching.

BATTY AS AN ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL

Batty played 20 international matches for England between 2002 and 2016, including nine Tests, 10 One-Day Internationals and one T20 International. His international career was interrupted by long spells out of the national side, but he earned a surprise return to Test cricket at the age of 39 during England's tour of Bangladesh and India in 2016.

He made his Test debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka in October 2003. His early years in the side also included England's tour of Sri Lanka, where his batting helped the team save successive Tests in Galle and Kandy.

However, Batty found opportunities hard to come by in a period when England had several established spin options. He was dropped after the 2004 tour of the West Indies, which included the Antigua Test in which Brian Lara scored an unbeaten 400.

His return to the Test side came more than a decade later. England recalled him for the 2016 tour of the subcontinent, and he featured in Tests against Bangladesh and India. His final Test appearance came against India in Mohali in November 2016.

In nine Tests, Batty took 15 wickets, with the best innings figures of 3 for 55. He scored 149 runs, with the highest score of 38.

His ODI career began against Australia in Sydney in December 2002. He went on to play 10 ODIs, taking five wickets. His only T20 International came against West Indies in March 2009, when he finished with figures of 0 for 17.

Batty's international record was modest compared with his achievements in county cricket, where he enjoyed a far longer and more successful career. He was particularly effective in the longer format, taking 682 wickets in first-class cricket.

FROM SURREY CAPTAIN TO TITLE-WINNING COACH

Batty's leadership experience proved valuable when he moved into coaching. After retiring at the end of the 2021 season, he joined Surrey's coaching staff before being appointed head coach in 2022.

The results followed quickly. Surrey won the County Championship in his first season in charge and went on to defend the title in 2023 and 2024. The team also reached the knockout stages of the Vitality Blast in each of his five seasons as head coach, including two appearances at Finals Day.

His work also involved helping Surrey players progress towards international cricket, making player development an important part of his coaching record.

Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart praised Batty's commitment to the club, saying his success as head coach reflected his understanding of the players, hard work and determination to win.

Batty, meanwhile, described his move to CSK as an exciting opportunity for his family and thanked Surrey for the role it had played throughout his career.

"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," he said.

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