Former England spinner Gareth Batty ended his association with Surrey for more than two decades to join five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the upcoming season. The development came to light after Surrey shared a farewell message on their official social media handles on Monday. CSK are yet to announce Batty.
“Head Coach Gareth Batty is to leave the Club to take up a role with in the IPL,” Surrey wrote in a statement. “The Club would like to thank Gareth for overseeing a highly successful period in its history. As Head Coach, Surrey won three County Championship titles in a row from 2022-2024,” the post further added.
Although it is unsure what role Batty would take up at , several media reports claimed that the Englishman would be given the responsibility of an assistant coach. CSK are going through a transition in their backroom staff, after , Eric Simmons James Foster and Michael Hussey all departing after the 2026 season of IPL.
The 48-year-old Batty leaves Surrey after five successful years as the head coach. During his time as the head coach at Surrey, the county won three consecutive County Championship titles. Batty thus becomes newly-appointed head coach first colleague at CSK.
At Surrey, Batty’s association dates back to 1998 as a player. In his first stint, Batty played at Surrey till 2001, before returning back again in 2010. He led Surrey from 2015 to 2017 before retiring in 2021. Following his retirement, Batty, immediately joined the Surrey coaching staff and took over as the head coach a year later.
In fact, Surrey, who finished County Championship runners-up in 2025, became the first team in nearly 60 years to win three consecutive titles. Batty also guided Surrey to the knockout stages of all the Vitality Blast seasons in charge, including two appearances in the finals.
For England, Batty played nine Tests, 10 ODIs and a lone T20I from 2003 to 2009. taking a total of 20 wickets. Batty is also the assistant coach of MI London in The Hundred.
