Gareth Batty and Albie Morkel have also joined the new look CSK support staff.
CSK confirmed on social media that they had parted ways with batting coach Michael Hussey, bowling coach Eric Simons, player Rajiv Kumar, and physio Tommy Simsek. However, England’s James Foster, who had come in as fielding coach in 2026, will continue in his role, now under Zaheer Khan.
Similarly, Sridharan Sriram will continue to be part of the setup, with each of their new roles expected to be defined later.
One of the biggest news stories, as per the Indian Express, was that Zaheer Khan is reportedly set to meet CSK legend MS Dhoni in the coming days in Mumbai before he arrives in Chennai to have a look at the CSK team and then decide the retentions before the November 15 deadline.
Significant changes are anticipated in terms of releasing a few players, which will enable Zaheer & Co. to enter the mini-auction with a sizable auction purse, given that the team was not even in the running to make the playoffs last season.
There were some updates on the coaching staff, as Mohit Sharma was previously announced as the new bowling coach of the franchise. And now former England spinner Gareth Batty is set to join the CSK camp as assistant coach.
One significant signing is that of former CSK all-rounder Albie Morkel, who is also the head coach of the SA20 franchise Jo’burg Super Kings.
CSK will have all of their support staff in place by the time the franchise's trials take place next month, ahead of the mini-auctions. An official announcement is anticipated at a later date.
International players are one of the main areas that CSK wishes to improve. Although the team has always had a significant representation abroad and each member is capable of winning games on their own, this has been lacking in the past few seasons.
However, the pool available this time will determine if the franchise can close that distance in the mini-auction.