Table of Contents
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have sacked former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming from the head coach’s role. Now, former CSK spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has identified former CSK captain MS Dhoni as the next head coach for the five-time champions of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL). He believes Dhoni is the best choice for the Men in Yellow side.
Ashwin feels MS Dhoni can be the best choice only if the former India captain decides to take up the role. However, Dhoni is yet to retire from IPL, though he did not feature in a single game last season due to a knee injury he suffered during the pre-season.
Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni gave CSK glorious days
Under Stephen Fleming, CSK had their best years, as after his departure, it ended one of the longest and most successful partnerships between the coach and the franchise in IPL history. He was picked by the franchise as a player in 2008 before taking up the head coach role in 2009 and guided the team to five IPL titles, two Champions League Twenty20 titles, 10 IPL finals and 12 playoff appearances.
CSK had the best time when Fleming was the coach, and Dhoni was the captain; Ashwin stated that the partnership between the two has been amazing; however, now the Men in Yellow need to look forward.
"Fleming really understood what ticked Dhoni, and Dhoni understood that Fleming was a great lieutenant, and that partnership carried on for such a long time. I would say it was about time Chennai Super Kings looked beyond," Ashwin said on ESPNcricinfo.
"There is no better person": Ravichandran Ashwin on MS Dhoni being CSK next head coach
Ashwin feels MS Dhoni's extensive knowledge of the franchise makes him the best choice to succeed Fleming if the former India captain is interested in coaching.
"If Dhoni is willing to do that, there is no better person that Chennai Super Kings can go after," he said.
At the same time, Ravi Ashwin warned that if CSK appoints a coach from outside, it might backfire because of Dhoni's continued influence within the franchise. As the coach might not be able to work with freedom.
"If not, they need to find someone who will be able to operate independently and take accountability for his or her own actions," Ashwin said.
Will MS Dhoni become the next head coach?
As of now, it is unclear whether MS Dhoni will continue to play in 2027. He missed the whole IPL 2026 due to a knee ailment, and the franchise has been cautious and very low-key about his future.
"I think there is a small aspect of uncertainty for anybody that will walk into that dressing room," Ashwin said. "Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a huge name and he's still very much a part of the discussion when you're talking about a squad that will be picked to play."
CSK finished at the 8th position in the league table as they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. There have been questions on Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy in the IPL as he has failed to deliver for the franchise as a leader since taking over the captaincy from Dhoni.
