Gareth Batty leaves Surrey to become assistant coach at Chennai Super Kings
Gareth Batty stepped down as Surrey head coach on 26 October 2026 to join Indian Premier League side Chennai Super Kings as an assistant coach, the club confirmed.
Batty's departure brings to an end a 21-year affiliation with Surrey that included two spells as a player and an immediate transition into coaching after his retirement in 2021. He first played for Surrey from 1998 to 2001 after leaving Yorkshire, spent seven seasons at Worcestershire and returned to The Oval in 2010, later serving as club captain from 2015 to 2017.
After retiring in 2021, Batty joined Surrey's coaching staff and was appointed head coach in 2022; under his leadership Surrey won the County Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and became the first team in nearly 60 years to secure three consecutive titles. He also twice guided the side to T20 Finals Day during his time in charge.
Reflecting on his move in comments published on the club website, Batty said: "Thank you hardly seems enough for all that Surrey has meant to me," the former England spinner told the club's website, external. "The new journey is a very exciting one for my family and I, and I'm looking forward to getting going."
Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart paid tribute to Batty's contribution, saying: "It is difficult to put into words just how much Gareth Batty has given to Surrey County Cricket Club, both as a player and as head coach," director of cricket Alec Stewart said. "I have known and worked with Gareth for many years and throughout that time he has shown an outstanding commitment to this club. "While we are sorry to see him go, I understand that this opportunity was too good for him to pass up on and will enable him to spend more time with his family outside of the IPL season."
As a player Batty featured in more than 350 matches for Surrey and took more than 500 wickets across all formats, having also played nine Tests for England. He retired from playing in 2021 and immediately joined Surrey's coaching set-up before his elevation to head coach in 2022.
Batty's exit leaves the County Championship's Division One with further coaching vacancies: three of the 10 teams who will play in Division One next season are now without a head coach after Glamorgan's Richard Dawson joined the England set-up and newly-promoted Durham's Ryan Campbell moved upstairs to become the club's director of cricket.
