From MS Dhoni to Rahul Dravid.. 5 potential candidates for the next CSK coach!

The continuous losses of the CSK team, the inability to win even at their Chepauk fortress, and Stephen Fleming's decision to step down after 17 years have raised the question of who will be the next coach. Rahul Dravid, Hemang Badani, Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are being discussed as the key individuals for this position. The Chennai Super Kings team, which won the IPL trophy for the 5th time under Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership in 2023, failed to qualify for the playoffs in the subsequent 3 IPL seasons. Under Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy, the Chennai team finished 5th in the 2024 IPL season and played very poorly in 2025, finishing 10th. In this situation, while it was expected that CSK would make a comeback and advance to the playoffs in the current IPL season, despite having players like Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Matre, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, and Shivam Dube, they finished only 8th. Moreover, the CSK team could not consistently win even at Chepauk, which is considered Chennai's fortress. Severe criticisms arose, blaming the team's wrong decisions during auctions and matches. It is in this context that New Zealand's Stephen Fleming, who had served as the head coach of the Chennai Super Kings team for 17 years, announced his resignation from his post. In this situation, the question of who will be the next coach for the CSK team, which has a big legacy in the IPL, has arisen. Rahul Dravid, Hemang Badani, and Dinesh Karthik are among the cricketers rumored to be on the list for that position. 5 potential CSK coaches... 5. Hemang Badani: Former Indian player Hemang Badani has been making an impact by winning trophies wherever he goes as a coach. So far, he has won 9 franchise trophies, including 4 in TNPL, 3 in Lanka Premier League, and trophies in SA20 League and ILT20 League. A video of Badani speaking about Stephen Fleming this year sparked controversy. In that video, he openly stated that Indians should be coaches in the IPL. He expressed the opinion that an Indian coach would be better for understanding players and handling pitches correctly. Having coached the Delhi team in the recently concluded IPL season, he is currently on standby for the next 2 years due to changes in franchise owners there. Therefore, his name has now started to be mentioned as a potential coach for the CSK team. 4. Dinesh Karthik: Dinesh Karthik, who did not get many opportunities in international cricket due to M.S. Dhoni's presence, has won 2 consecutive trophies for the RCB team in his batting coach avatar. He also serves as an advisor to the RCB team and has completely changed RCB's batting approach in IPL cricket. Dinesh Karthik, who has always expressed a desire to play for the CSK team, undoubtedly aims to win the trophy if he gets the coaching responsibility for CSK. Furthermore, having trained for a long time under Andy Flower, considered a top coach, Dinesh Karthik is seen as qualified for a promotion to another team. 3. Ravichandran Ashwin: Ravichandran Ashwin, a native of Chennai, was discovered by Chennai Super Kings and rose to become a legend in Indian cricket. Ravichandran Ashwin, who always maintains a close relationship with Chennai Super Kings, has chances of being CSK's choice. Although Ashwin would be an unexpected choice, there is no harm in considering Ashwin for the IPL series, where many matches are played on home soil. He has captained in the IPL and has a modern outlook on franchise cricket, a true CSK legend. Ashwin, once speaking about his next journey, said after the ETPL player auction, "In my career, I want to contribute more than just being a player." He further added, "For the past two years, I have been a coach and captain in state cricket. Rahul Dravid saw me doing that, and he was confident that I could do it. I see this as a big connection to a new endeavor I want to pursue next. 2. Rahul Dravid: Rahul Dravid's name was associated with the CSK team last year, but he did not express certainty about becoming a coach. In this situation, it can be seen that the right circumstances have now aligned for it. Rahul Dravid is a big name in Indian cricket, has IPL experience, and is a T20 World Cup-winning coach. He is excellent at bringing out talent from young players and is credited with building strong players in India's U19 team structure. Despite Rahul Dravid's long experience, he also identifies techniques for the next moves in modern cricket. We can say this based on the moment the Indian team won the T20 World Cup. Furthermore, for the CSK team, which has been operating very calmly for many years, Rahul Dravid could be the right choice after Stephen Fleming. 1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Is there a better choice for Chennai Super Kings than Mahendra Singh Dhoni? There is nothing else to say about him. Dhoni means CSK, and CSK means Dhoni. This Indian legend has acted like a coach in the Chennai team for many years. Formalizing it now would be very appropriate. Dhoni, who spoke about his deteriorating fitness at the start of the 2026 IPL season CSK event, is undoubtedly at the right time to begin his new chapter as a coach. If Dhoni becomes the coach of Chennai Super Kings, there would be no more celebratory news for CSK fans.