Doyle retained the captaincy during the 2016/17 season; a campaign which saw Portsmouth win the League Two championship after four years in the English professional game's basement division. Though Doyle's defensive midfield partner changed several times over the course of the season, with Danny Rose and Amine Linganzi vying for a place in the first XI, Doyle remained first-choice for the screening role in front of the defence. He featured 96 times for the "Blues", finding the net on three occasions.