Morgan was reportedly approached by CSK to fill the head coach vacancy left by Stephen Fleming.
Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan has been appointed as the head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
This marks Zaheer's first stint as a head coach at any level. He mentored Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) during the IPL 2025 season. Earlier, he was part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) support staff from 2018-22, serving as the Director of Cricket Operations before being promoted to head of global development.
Hours after Zaheer’s formal appointment, it was reported by Cricbuzz that the former left-arm quick wasn’t CSK’s first choice.
According to the report, former England captain Eoin Morgan was approached by franchise to fill the head coach vacancy left by Stephen Fleming. However, he declined the offer.
The report further claimed that Morgan was approached by another IPL team but he rejected the opportunity, citing that he is content with his current full-time commentary commitments and wishes to stick to it.
Following Morgan's refusal, alongside considerations for other names like batting coach Michael Hussey, CSK's leadership group acted on a personal suggestion from MS Dhoni, who strongly advocated for his former India teammate, leading to Zaheer’s official signing on a one-year contract.
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan himself confirmed that Zaheer Khan’s name was suggested by Dhoni.
“It was not an administrative decision. The cricket committee decided this. It was MS’s suggestion. He spoke to captain Rutu (Ruturaj Gikwad) and both had a discussion with owner Rupa (Gurunath) and thus the decision was arrived at," Viswanathan told Cricbuzz.