Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have officially appointed former India pacer Zaheer Khan as their new head coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 season. The appointment marks the end of an 18-year era under Stephen Fleming, who stepped down to take over as England’s Test coach.
Viswanathan also revealed that securing Zaheer was not an instant process: “We couldn’t have got a better coach than Zaheer. Unspoken Chemistry and Trust: Dhoni and Zaheer share a celebrated bond from their playing days with the Indian national team. Their shared cricketing intellect and mutual respect provide immediate harmony between the team’s spiritual leader and its new coach. CSK is actively looking for an overseas candidate to handle the batting coach portfolio While existing personnel such as Sridharan Sriram and Rajiv Kumar are slated to continue.
Because it took some time, but eventually he agreed to come on board, to convince him to take the role wasn’t easy. Zaheer becomes only the third head coach in CSK history – following Kepler Wessels (2008) and Fleming (2009-2026) and the very first Indian to hold the position. Zaheer acted as Dhoni’s on-field bowling captain during India’s run to the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup title.
With the franchise keen on bringing in an Indian coach well-versed in the domestic ecosystem, Dhoni spoke with multiple candidates over a span of two months. After returning from a trip to the United States, Dhoni spearheaded the final round of consultations alongside CSK owner Rupa Gurunath and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
CSK’s ownership entrusted MS Dhoni with the responsibility of identifying and vetting Fleming’s successor, according to a report by The Indian Express.
