4 min readUpdated: Sep 10, 2026 12:13 PM IST
The suspense over Chennai Super Kings’ new head coach is likely to be resolved within the next week or two, with former India batsman Hemang Badani lined up as the potential successor to Stephen Fleming. The Indian Express understands that with former captain MS Dhoni pushing for an Indian-led support staff, Badani has emerged the front runner, on the back of his previous IPL experience as head coach of Delhi Capitals and his success in other T20 leagues. The final call, though, still rests with the ownership, which continues to explore overseas options.
After CSK failed to make the play-offs for a third season running, the franchise parted ways with Fleming, head coach since 2009. CSK’s CEO and MD Kasi Viswanathan told The Indian Express after Fleming’s removal that the franchise had handed the responsibility for finding a new coach to Dhoni. While there were indications early on that Fleming’s successor would also come from overseas, it’s learnt Dhoni has made a strong case for an Indian to take charge instead. The ownership is still weighing options on the overseas front, and reliably understood to be waiting until it has assessed the pros and cons on both sides. With Fleming having delivered sustained success, and other franchises finding it too under foreign coaches, there is a school of thought within CSK favouring an overseas appointment. But in terms of IPL experience specifically, the options on that front are limited.
It is learnt that Dhoni is pushing for an Indian coach to take over CSK from the next season. (File)
Dhoni is understood to have told the ownership he’d prefer an Indian at the helm of the coaching staff, given how much of the IPL is now being shaped by homegrown talent. Having parted ways with Delhi Capitals, Badani brings not just IPL experience, but also success overseas, having won titles in the SA20, ILT20 and LPL. Given the franchise’s struggles at home in Chepauk, Badani, who played for Tamil Nadu, also knows the conditions well. Over the last couple of seasons, Fleming has admitted CSK often struggled to read the pitch, a factor behind the team losing home fixtures at a venue that was once their fortress.
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The franchise has stayed tight-lipped publicly about the candidates, but several discussions are understood to have taken place behind the scenes over the past few days, with Dhoni playing a key role in laying out a roadmap. Among his proposals to ownership: the new head coach should work exclusively for CSK, with no other league commitments overseas.
Fleming, besides coaching CSK, was also in charge of Johannesburg Super Kings in the SA20 and Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket. Dhoni wants to end that arrangement, and have the new coach focused solely on CSK. Albie Morkel has already been named JSK’s head coach for next season. For Badani, this restriction could pose a real hurdle: he currently coaches Southern Brave in The Hundred and Dubai Capitals in the ILT20, and consults for Seattle Orcas too. Coaches juggling multiple roles across T20 leagues is common practice. A restriction like this could cut into his income, and whether CSK would compensate for that remains to be seen.
Dhoni’s push for a coach focused solely on CSK comes down to the scale of the rebuild ahead, one he wants the new coach to lead through the mega auction. Across successive auctions, including the mega auction ahead of the 2025 season, CSK drifted from the formula that had made them successful, leaving them with three years of tinkering to do as they moved away from their own DNA, investing heavily in uncapped players ahead of the 2026 season. That approach didn’t work, and whoever replaces Fleming will inherit the squad he built.
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On the rest of the support staff, Viswanathan said that decision would be left to the incoming head coach.
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