Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has been appointed as the mentor of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for the upcoming International League T20 season. His association with the Knight Riders group has taken another step forward. The franchise made the announcement on Thursday welcoming him with the caption "another chapter in Purple awaits, this time in Abu Dhabi.” Watson already has strong ties with the group. He served as assistant coach with Kolkata Knight Riders during IPL 2026 and later took on the mentor’s role with Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket where the side reached the final.
Shane Watson is a two-time World Cup winner with Australia and a successful IPL player having played for RR, CSK and RCB. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders continues to strengthen the backroom setup ahead of a competitive season of ILT20 that will start later this year. The upcoming season of ILT20, which is the fifth season of the tournament, will begin on November 22 and run till December 20. The league will consist of the usual 34 matches, 30 in the league stage and four playoffs. The six teams that are part of the tournament include - Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz.
Shane Watson's coaching career
Shane Watson started his coaching career with Delhi Capitals where he was appointed assistant coach in 2022 under Ricky Ponting. He remained with the franchise through the 2023 season. In IPL 2022, Delhi Capitals finished in fifth position with 7 wins in 14 matches. He then moved with the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket. The former Australian all-rounder became the franchise’s head coach and spent three seasons. He left Unicorns in October 2025 after three seasons. In PSL, Watson took charge of Quetta Gladiators as head coach for the PSL 2024 season. The team finished in fourth place with 5 wins in 10 matches and 11 points.
His return to the IPL came when KKR appointed him assistant coach for the 2026 campaign.Abhishek Nayar was appointed KKR’s head coach in October last year when he took over from Chandrakant Pandit. Watson joined the setup as assistant coach. Kolkata Knight Riders had a tough 2026 campaign as they could not make it to the playoffs after they finished seventh with just 6 wins in 14 matches. Shane Watson's association with the Knight Riders group would mean he has a good chance of becoming the head coach of KKR in the future.
