Zaheer Khan will meet MS Dhoni in Mumbai before Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finalise their player retentions ahead of the November 15 deadline. The newly appointed head coach recently held his first meeting with the franchise management in Chennai to discuss a major overhaul of the support staff and team structure.
The five-time champions finished eighth in the 2026 season, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year. They named Zaheer Khan head coach after parting ways with Stephen Fleming, who was part of CSK's five title-winning campaigns. The franchise last won the IPL title under Dhoni’s leadership in 2023.
According to a report by The Indian Express, CSK are expected to release several players to build a sizeable purse for the upcoming IPL mini-auction. Zaheer Khan has begun restructuring CSK’s support staff.
The team has moved on from former batting coach Michael Hussey, Eric Simons and Rajiv Kumar following consecutive disappointing seasons.
Former England batter Gareth Batty and Albie Morkel, who currently coaches Johannesburg Super Kings, are set to join the revamped setup. Ex-India fast bowler Mohit Sharma will also serve as the bowling coach.
James Foster will continue as fielding coach despite joining England’s Test team as an assistant coach under Fleming. Sridharan Sriram will also remain part of the setup, although the franchise is yet to define the specific roles of the returning and incoming staff members.
CSK are expected to have their full support staff, led by Zaheer Khan, in place before conducting player trials next month ahead of the mini-auction. The franchise is likely to make a formal announcement about the revised coaching team in the coming weeks.
CSK Look to Strengthen Overseas Contingent as Dhoni’s Future Remains Uncertain
One of CSK’s key priorities is to strengthen their overseas contingent. The franchise has traditionally relied on international players capable of winning matches on their own, but that impact has been lacking in recent seasons.
Accoring to Indian Express report, CSK’s ability to address this weakness will depend on the players available and the purse they can build through releases before the retention deadline.
Meanwhile, Dhoni has yet to announce his IPL future. The revised retention rules allowed CSK to retain the veteran wicketkeeper for ₹4 crore as an uncapped player ahead of the 2025 mega-auction.
Notably, the 45-year-old missed the entire 2026 season because of calf and thumb injuries. He had returned as CSK’s interim captain during the 2025 campaign after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad suffered an elbow injury and was ruled out after five matches.
Chennai Super Kings’ Recent IPL Struggles and Retention Plans
CSK have struggled to return to the playoffs since winning their fifth IPL title in 2023 under Dhoni. Ruturaj Gaikwad took over the captaincy in 2024, when the team narrowly missed the playoffs and finished fifth.
They finished level on points with Royal Challengers Bengaluru but missed out on qualification because of an inferior net run rate. The team’s struggles deepened in 2025, when they finished at the bottom of the table with just four wins.
Gaikwad began the season as captain but missed the remainder of the campaign after playing five matches, prompting Dhoni to take over the leadership role again. He returned as captain in 2026, but CSK endured another disappointing season.
They finished eighth with six wins from 14 matches and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive year. Zaheer Khan and the management now face the task of rebuilding the squad and strengthening the team before the next auction.
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