Zaheer Khan replaced Stephen Fleming as CSK head coach.
Reports have stated that CSK legend MS Dhoni had a huge say in Zaheer Khan’s appointment as CSK head coach. R Ashwin says that Zaheer Khan is probably the one who can disagree with MS Dhoni, given his seniority over the ex-India captain when they played international cricket.
"Zaheer has the ability to disagree with Dhoni. Many others, like Ruturaj Gaikwad, cannot disagree with Dhoni and suggest some other combination. But Zaheer can, and he can also put a hand on Dhoni’s shoulder and make suggestions because he was a senior player when Dhoni was the captain, and they have such a rapport.
MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan get along very well. They used to get along very well even in a captain-player relationship. So, it is clear that this decision was made after Dhoni’s sign-off. What will really work with CSK is that Zaheer’s smartness and intuitiveness, along with his structure and intelligence, won’t have major differences of opinion with Dhoni. They will both talk to each other and agree,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
When MS Dhoni led India to the 2011 World Cup win, Zaheer Khan had starred with 21 wickets to his name, becoming the joint-highest wicket-taker with Shahid Afridi.
"It will be interesting to see if Zaheer Khan wants Ruturaj Gaikwad to remain captain or wants a change in leadership. If what I am hearing is right, it looks like Sanju Samson might have a good shot at becoming captain. I am hearing that Sanju could get a crack at captaincy. But I don’t know how true it is," said Ashwin.
Gaikwad has a subpar IPL captaincy record with only 14 wins in 33 matches. On the other hand, Samson led the Rajasthan Royals (RR) from the 2021 to 2025 IPL seasons, helping them finish as runners-up in 2022. He has a better record with 33 wins and 32 losses in 67 IPL outings.