Former Indian chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth has lashed out at the rumours that Hemang Badani will be appointed as the new head coach of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise for the IPL 2027 season.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth asserted that MS Dhoni himself is enough to emerge as the new head coach for the forthcoming season. Notably, head coach Stephen Fleming bid adieu to the franchise after his 18-year association.
“There is no way Hemang Badani should be CSK’s head coach. He didn’t do anything in DC. I don’t know why CSK should go all-out for him. He is nothing special as a coach. When you have Dhoni, why do you even need someone else as coach? Dhoni himself is enough as head coach,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
While there have been reports of the former England captain Eoin Morgan emerging as the new CSK head coach, the think tank is aiming for an Indian coach. Further, Srikkanth advised the Chennai-based outfit to rope in the former KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit.
“If Dhoni is preferring an Indian coach, then I would go for Chandrakant Pandit. He’s a good guy and has won trophies. But CSK should go for an Indian option. Either the coach must have been a great international player or achieved big as a coach at the domestic or IPL level,” he added.
“It’s fine that CSK are taking their time. There is no necessity to make the decision in a hurry. The auction will only be in December, so there’s enough time. So they shouldn’t rush it at all and should think calmly to make the right decision,” he concluded.
CSK finished in eighth position in the IPL 2026 standings, and they would be aiming to get back to their best in the forthcoming season.
