- Zaheer Khan meets MS Dhoni in Mumbai before CSK finalizes player retention. The new Chennai Super Kings head coach held his first team management meeting in Chennai on Monday and is expected to meet MS Dhoni in Mumbai before the tie-in deadline on November 15.
- Zaheer Khan meets MS Dhoni in Mumbai before CSK completes player retention (Photo Source: LSG) Chennai Super Kings’ new head coach Zaheer Khan held talks with the franchise’s team management in Chennai on Monday for his first formal meeting in the role, with the main agenda being finalizing his support staff ahead of the next IPL cycle.
- The 48-year-old is now expected to travel to Mumbai in the coming days to hold talks with MS Dhoni before returning to Chennai to conduct an initial assessment of the playing group.
Zaheer Khan meets MS Dhoni in Mumbai before CSK finalizes player retention. The new Chennai Super Kings head coach held his first team management meeting in Chennai on Monday and is expected to meet MS Dhoni in Mumbai before the tie-in deadline on November 15.
Zaheer Khan meets MS Dhoni in Mumbai before CSK completes player retention (Photo Source: LSG) Chennai Super Kings’ new head coach Zaheer Khan held talks with the franchise’s team management in Chennai on Monday for his first formal meeting in the role, with the main agenda being finalizing his support staff ahead of the next IPL cycle. The 48-year-old is now expected to travel to Mumbai in the coming days to hold talks with MS Dhoni before returning to Chennai to conduct an initial assessment of the playing group. These discussions will directly relate to CSK’s retention decisions ahead of the November 15 deadline.
After parting ways with much of the support staff that worked under Stephen Fleming over the years, CSK is pushing for a major overhaul of the entire structure. The franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs last season and major changes are expected, including the release of several players so the team can enter the mini-auction with a sizable auction price. Who will join the CSK support team under Zaheer Khan?
As for the new additions, former England batsman Gareth Batty is expected to join CSK. Albie Morkel, who was there during the franchise’s successful years and is currently the head coach of the Johannesburg Super Kings, is also expected to join the team. Mohit Sharma has been identified as the new cycle bowling coach.
Although CSK replaced batting coaches Michael Hussey, Eric Simons and Rajiv Kumar, all of whom were part of Fleming’s coaching group, not all members of the previous team were sacked. James Foster, who joined the team as fielding coach in 2026 after serving as an assistant in the England Test team under Stephen Fleming, will continue his role with the five-time champions. Since Foster’s other duties do not conflict with the IPL window, he retains his place.
Likewise, Sridharan Sriram will remain an integral part of the organization and new roles should be defined for each of them later. An official announcement of the full support staff is expected once the franchise conducts testing in preparation for the mini-auction next month. What areas is CSK targeting in the mini auction?
One department that CSK wants to strengthen is the group of foreign players. The franchise has traditionally relied on a strong foreign contingent, with every player said to be the only one cable of winning games. However, this area has not met the required standards in the last two seasons.
CSK’s ability to resolve this issue through the mini-auction will depend on the quality of foreign players available in the pool at that time. The retention decisions that Zaheer and Dhoni are expected to make before the November 15 deadline will determine how much the franchise can offer in the process.
