Five-time champions CSK on Monday named Zaheer, 47, as their head coach for IPL 2027 and fill the high-profile vacancy left by ex-New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, who parted ways with the franchise after an 18-year association.
The legendary MS Dhoni was actively involved in the decision to appoint former India pacer Zaheer Khan as the new head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), said the franchise’s managing director Kasi Viswanathan. Apart from Dhoni, other CSK cricket management members included owner Rupa Gurunath and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Five-time champions CSK on Monday named Zaheer Khan, 47, as their head coach for IPL 2027 and fill the high-profile vacancy left by ex-New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming.
He has played over 100 games in IPL and was an all-round player. Viswanathan also confirmed that Zaheer, a member of 2011 ODI World Cup winning team, will have complete autonomy in picking his backroom staff. As a left-arm pacer, Zaheer turned out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals, claiming 102 wickets in 100 matches at an average of 27.27.
When asked about Dhoni’s future as a player, after he didn’t play a single game for CSK in IPL 2026 due to fitness issues, Viswanathan said, “See, basically, he continues to be a player for us. But this will be the first time Zaheer will be the head coach of a cricket team, and he can solely focus on CSK due to him having no other franchise T20 cricket coaching commitments. The insistence on hiring an Indian head coach with previous IPL experience, due to the familiarity with Indian conditions and local players, as well as having previously known Dhoni as a team-mate via India playing days, tilted the scales in Zaheer’s favour.
“He will decide on the support staff,” he said. “See, basically, the cricket management took this decision. They wanted Mr. Zaheer Khan as the head coach based on his experience. “So, they preferred that he will be a good option for them and we abided by what the cricket management wanted. Definitely, he (MS Dhoni) was part of the decision when this was taken. That is the only thing I can say. As of now, CSK’s support staff includes Mike Hussey, Sridharan Sriram, Rajiv Kumar, Eric Simons and James Foster. Outside of coaching and mentoring, Zaheer co-owns Antwerp Anchors in the European T20 Premier League in Belgium, Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in Sri Lanka and Vancouver Anchors in the Super60 league in Canada. Notably, CSK’s official statement lists Zaheer’s appointment without any reference to a multi-year deal, indicating that it will initially be a one-year stint.
Without his advice, we don’t do anything,” Viswanathan said to IANS on Monday.
