Former Indian chairman of selectors and commentator Kris Srikkanth has asserted that the former CSK batter Suresh Raina is the ideal candidate to take over as the franchise’s next batting coach after Michael Hussey’s departure.
Notably, CSK has parted ways with head coach Stephen Fleming and batting coach Mike Hussey. Also, pace bowling coach Eric Simmons and fielding coach James Foster bid adieu to the franchise.
“Suresh Raina will be a good bet as the next batting coach. He has played almost his entire IPL career with CSK. So he will be very keen, and he’ll add value because he has played a lot with Zaheer Khan for India. Also, Dhoni and Raina get along very well. Even Mohit Sharma, Raina, and Dhoni have played together, so Raina will be a great choice,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“Sridharan Sriram is a very good coach and should remain in the CSK coaching setup. He knows everything about Chennai and will be a good adviser to the team. KB Arun Karthik is a brilliant fielder and can be promoted as the fielding coach. He has been in the CSK setup and is very dedicated. This should be enough. Sriram can be an assistant to all of them, with Zaheer, Raina, Mohit Sharma, and Arun Karthik being the other coaches,” he added.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise, on September 21, announced former legendary Indian left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan as their head coach for the forthcoming IPL 2027 season. It’s worth noting that Zaheer worked in different roles for Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Further, Srikkanth disagreed with MS Dhoni playing a whole IPL season at his current age. It’s worth noting that the 45-year-old missed the entire 2026 IPL season due to a calf injury. It’s still not confirmed whether Dhoni will play the whole season next year.
“I don’t think he can play a full season. He can only play the odd matches. He didn’t play the entire last season, and every year, he’s getting older also. His mind may be willing to play, but his body should be willing. It’ll be hard for him as his eyesight and movements might not be up to the mark. Maybe he can be a player cum mentor for CSK,” said Srikkanth.
