Aakash Chopra, former India opener, has suggested a few Indian names who can be considered for the next head coach role of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise. And one of those names was R. Ashwin, a former India and CSK player, who won the IPL 2011 with the franchise.
After 18 years of long association, Stephen Fleming and CSK parted ways, as the franchise has failed to make it into the playoffs in IPL 2024, 2025, and 2026. They finished 8th in the IPL 2026.
Given that the former Indian spinner has frequently played alongside MS Dhoni, Chopra thought Ravichandran Ashwin would be a contender. Prior to this year's competition, Ashwin, who represented CSK in the 2025 Indian Premier League, announced his retirement.
"If coaching credentials are not seen, he has a Chennai connection, he has a tactical brain, and he is an astute thinker of the game, then you don't need to go too far from Ravichandran Ashwin. I don't know how much he is interested in coaching. He runs a coaching academy. He is tactically extremely brilliant.
He likes to manage a team as well. He is the manager of a TNPL team at the moment. Why not him? Have a conversation. He can be a long-term investment. When you look at the Indians, they might want to go towards a slightly higher-profile one. He has played a lot with Dhoni. He rates Ruturaj highly. He likes him a lot, and I think the feeling will be mutual. So why not Ravichandran Ashwin? Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
R. Ashwin retired from the IPL after taking 187 wickets in 221 games at an economy of 7.20 and best bowling figures of 4/34.
The other name Aakash Chopra suggested was former CSK vice-captain, Suresh Raina.
"What about Suresh Raina? He has such a massive Chennai connection that when Dhoni left cricket, he also left along with him. He bleeds yellow. He loves this franchise a lot. He is 100 percent committed in that direction.
There was talk about whether Chinna Thala could become the batting coach or could get a mentor's role. Why not Suresh Raina? If you are thinking that neither Ashwin nor Raina has coaching experience as such, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan didn't have it either, but they also did a good job," Raina stated.
Suresh Raina is considered to be one of the best batters in the IPL, scoring 5528 runs in 205 games with one century and 39 fifties at a strike rate of 136.78. He won the IPL in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021 with the CSK franchise.
Another option that was suggested by Aakash Chopra was Hemang Badani, who played for India and Tamil Nadu. Badani was the head coach of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the last two IPL seasons.
"What about Hemang Badani? He comes from Chennai. He has been Delhi's coach. I feel Delhi will release him now. Dada (Sourav Ganguly) will come there. JSW will manage it now. So the GMR guys will be released. So I feel Hemang Badani would bid goodbye from there, unless it's already happened. Why not Chennai? He is a homegrown guy," he said.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar was also one of the names suggested by Aakash Chopra.
"What about Baba Bangar? It's not just about the Chennai connection. He has been India's coach. MS Dhoni was there when he was India's batting coach. He has been the Punjab Kings' coach and has worked with RCB. He has got a portfolio. He has managed many IPL teams and the Indian team," Chopra observed.
Sanjay Bangar is quite modest and can work well with his captain, according to Aakash Chopra. The former batting coach for India, he continued, is neither contentious nor combative and can adapt to the team's ideology
