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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have reportedly identified former India batter Hemang Badani as the leading candidate to succeed Stephen Fleming as the franchise's head coach. The development comes shortly after CSK and Fleming mutually agreed to end their 18-year partnership, bringing to a close one of the most successful coach-franchise associations in IPL history.
Ahead of the IPL 2027 season and players’ auction, the move came at a significant time as the franchise has a significant amount of time to redecorate its coaching set-up.
Hemang Badani emerges as favorite for CSK head coach role: Report
Who will be CSK’s next head coach in IPL 2027? It has been reported by the Times of India that Hemang Badani, the former Team India cricketer who served as the Delhi Capitals (DC) coach in the previous season, has emerged as a potential candidate to succeed Fleming at CSK.
As per the report, the top officials of CSK are currently in Dallas, where they have been reviewing the team’s performance in the past few seasons.
"The franchise (CSK) is reviewing its cricket operations, with former India batter Hemang Badani emerging as a contender to join the coaching set-up. The franchise's top brass is currently in Dallas, reviewing the last few seasons and planning the road ahead," according to the media report.
Why is CSK moving away from Stephen Fleming?
Stephen Fleming and CSK were closely associated for about two decades. The former New Zealand star first joined the franchise as a cricketer in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, and was then appointed head coach of the team in 2009. Since 2009, he has served as the franchise's head coach in the IPL. Under his guidance, CSK reached 11 finals, 10 in the IPL and one in the Champions League, winning six titles.
During the 2016 and 2017 seasons, when the franchise was banned from the league, the former cricketer was with the Rising Pune Supergiant as head coach. In two seasons, he took the team to the final once, in 2017.
Fleming's career as head coach started on a high note, but recently there was a significant dip in his career as the Chennai Super Kings finished 10th and eighth in the 2025 and 2026 seasons after narrowly missing the play-offs in 2024.
Why could Hemang Badoni become the next coach of CSK?
As it is reported, Hemang Badoni is in the race to become the next coach of one of the IPL's most successful teams. The former India cricketer has a reputation for working closely with young talents. Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Sahil Parakh, and Abishek Porel are some of the uncapped Indian talents whom he managed in Delhi Capitals. South African batter Tristan Stubbs also did well under his observation.
CSK has multiple emerging talents in their line-up as the franchise has inviested on long time prospects. Batters like Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, and Prashant Veer can benefit if Badoni joins CSK ahead of the IPL 2027 season.
