Shane Watson Makes a Stunning Return to the IPL After Retirement

Shane Watson, the former Australian all-rounder, is all set to make his comeback to the Indian Premier League. Even after his retirement in 2020, fans will be able to watch Watson back to the tournament. However, he will be making his return with a different role this time.

The IPL 2026 season is about to be more intense for the fans. If you have been watching the tournament for a long time, you must be aware of Shane Watson, and how he used to cause destruction with his all-round skills. Eventually, Watson went on to announce his retirement from the IPL in 2020, and was not seen thereafter

But now, he has finally made his return to the tournament. It should be noted that Watson will now be coming back to the tournament with a different role. He has now been announced as the Assistant Head Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, for the upcoming edition.

1. Shane Watson Returns

Shane Watson played his last match in the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings. In the IPL 2020 edition, he played his last game for the team against Kings XI Punjab. Watson made sure to end his IPL career on a high note, which was done in this game.

Chasing a massive target set by Kings XI Punjab, he partnered with Faf du Plessis to help Chennai Super Kings to win by 10 wickets. In this game, Watson ended up scoring 83 runs off 53 balls, ending his IPL career on a high note. Since then, he has not been seen by the fans in the IPL, but he has been the key player for CSK

While the news of IPL Trade Window took all over the internet, Kolkata Knight Riders played a major move. The team is keen to have some changes in its coaching department, which has struggled after its last IPL win in 2024. Now, the team has announced Shane Watson as the new Assistant Head Coach of the team for the next season.

2. Shane Watson’s IPL Career

Shane Watson has enjoyed a great time in the Indian Premier League. He started off his career in the IPL by playing for Rajasthan Royals. Watching him dominate for the team with both bat and ball was some of the best times RR fans used to experience in the early days of the IPL.

Shane Watson in IPL (Batting):

• Innings: 141
• Not Out: 16
• Runs: 3874
• Average: 30.99
• Strike Rate: 137.91
• 100s: 4
• 50s: 21

It should be noted that Shane Watson was also a part of Rajasthan Royals when the team won its first and only IPL trophy. Playing for them in IPL 2008, he ended up scoring 472 runs in 15 matches at an average of 47.20, with four half-centuries. He also contributed to the team with the ball, taking 17 wickets in his first ever IPL edition.

Rajasthan Royals in IPL (Bowling):

• Innings: 105
• Overs: 338.1
• Wickets: 92
• Average: 29.15
• Economy: 7.93
• Four-wicket Hauls: 1

Following this, Watson was made an integral part of Rajasthan Royals for the next few IPL seasons. He played for the team till IPL 2015, following which he was put down in the auction. At this time, Watson was brought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the IPL 2016 edition. But this also turned out to be his worst time in the IPL.

In IPL 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore made it to the finals. But Watson turned out to be expensive, conceding runs with the ball and even failed to score well with the bat. His bad form continued even in the IPL 2017 edition, when Watson had averaged just 11.83 in 8 matches.

However, his comeback in the IPL was massive after two bad seasons. He played for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018, and helped the team to win the finals of the tournament. Scoring 555 runs in this season, he marked his comeback in the IPL with a strong form, and continued to play till IPL 2020.

3. KKR Coaching Staff Changes

The inclusion of Shane Watson is not the only change which Kolkata Knight Riders had made to its coaching staff. Following its bad performances in the IPL 2025 edition, the team had some massive changes on the cards. Chandrakant Pandit, who was the Head Coach of the team previously,

In his place, Abhishek Nayar has marked his comeback to the team as the new Head Coach. He was also a part of India's coaching staff, but the BCCI removed him from the post following the poor performances in the Test format. With Abhishek Nayar making his comeback to the team, Shane Watson is another name that will provide KKR with the much-needed input.