Chennai Super Kings appoint Zaheer Khan as head coach without batting coach
Zaheer Khan takes over as head coach while the franchise opts against a specialist batting coach for the first time in its IPL history.
Chennai Super Kings named Zaheer Khan as head coach for IPL 2027, replacing Stephen Fleming after his 18-year association with the franchise. Mohit Sharma was appointed bowling coach while Albie Morkel and Gareth Batty joined as assistant coaches. Sridharan Sriram and James Foster were retained in their existing roles. CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed the coaching staff is complete without a dedicated batting coach, though Gareth Batty may serve as a batting mentor. Michael Hussey, Eric Simons, Rajiv Kumar, Tommy Simsek and Greg King were not retained. The franchise has now completed its backroom overhaul ahead of the new season. India won both the 2025 PD Deepak Lohia Memorial Trophy and the 2024 Wheelchair Cricket T20I Trophy 5-0 against Sri Lanka.