Chennai Super Kings (CSK) currently find themselves without a head coach after Stephen Fleming stepped down recently, bringing an end to a successful 18-year-long stint with the franchise. While the five-time champions are yet to announce a replacement, former India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin believes a former England player could be in line for the role. According to Ashwin, the absence of a coach is also complicating CSK’s trade window plans, with the franchise being linked to a possible Hardik Pandya trade from Mumbai Indians.
Who Will Become the Next CSK Coach?
“Names like Andrew Flintoff and Brendon McCullum have been doing the rounds. That’ll be a good swap to send Stephen Fleming to England and get McCullum here. Now, the ECB are fine with sharing jobs so McCullum can be England’s white-ball coach and do the same with CSK. But I have a feeling that Eoin Morgan could be that Englishman who becomes CSK’s head coach,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Notably, both Flintoff and McCullum have played for CSK in the past.
Ashwin also pointed out how the absence of a coach is affecting CSK’s trade window opportunities. “It must be remembered that the trade window is ongoing. And CSK are still without a coach. This makes discussing trade deals very hard. While there are rumors about a Hardik Pandya trade for Khaleel Ahmed and Shivam Dube, the incoming coach might feel he could extract the best out of Khaleel or Dube. Let’s not forget that Dube has played in beast mode for CSK themselves two to three years back,” he said.
What Next for CSK?
Since winning their last title in 2023, CSK have failed to make the playoffs in the last three seasons, from IPL 2024 to 2026. The franchise finished 8th out of 10 teams last season, a slight improvement on their last-place finish in 2025, but three spots lower than their fifth-place finish in IPL 2024.