Chennai Super Kings could have a surprise name in the frame to replace Stephen Fleming, with former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin saying Eoin Morgan is strongly linked to the head coach role. Ashwin, who has a long association with CSK, spoke about the franchise’s search for Fleming’s replacement on his YouTube channel.
“I have a strong hunch. Eoin Morgan’s name is strongly linked to the CSK head coach role, per my sources. I think a decision will be made in the next week,” Ashwin said. Fleming’s exit brings an end to a hugely successful 19-year association with CSK. Under his leadership, the franchise won five IPL titles and became one of the most consistent teams in the tournament.
Replacing Fleming as CSK coach will not be easy. Morgan would certainly be an interesting choice. The former England captain has never worked as a head coach, either at the international level or in franchise cricket. Since retiring from professional cricket in 2023, he has largely been involved in commentary and punditry.
But Morgan knows what it takes to build a successful white-ball team. As England captain, he oversaw a major change in the team’s approach and led them to their first ODI World Cup title in 2019. England played an aggressive brand of cricket under Morgan, with the captain placing plenty of trust in his players.
That experience could be useful for CSK, who are going through a period of change. The five-time champions have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. With the squad also in transition, the next head coach will have an important role to play in shaping the team’s next phase.
The obvious concern with Morgan, however, is his lack of coaching experience. Being a successful captain and being a head coach are not necessarily the same thing. An IPL coach has to deal with players from different countries, manage a large support staff and make decisions through a long and demanding tournament. At CSK, there is also the presence of MS Dhoni, whose influence around the franchise remains considerable.
Ashwin, in fact, believes Dhoni could be the more obvious choice for the role. “Personally, I feel this will go to MS Dhoni and be run by the others. I think that will be the right decision because appointing a replacement for Fleming is a touch late with the mega auction just a year away,” Ashwin added.
Dhoni’s understanding of CSK and his long association with the franchise could make him a natural fit for a larger role in the team’s cricketing setup. Morgan, meanwhile, would mean a very different direction. He has the leadership experience and the track record of changing a team’s approach, but has never sat in the head coach’s chair. If CSK do decide to go down that route, they would be backing Morgan to make the transition from international captain to franchise coach.
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