Zaheer appointment another sign of Dhoni’s enduring influence at CSK
Players say that at Chennai Super Kings, there is no system of painstaking postmortems, lengthy debriefing exercises or exhaustive reviews after an IPL game. Nor would there be over-the-top celebrations or ecstatic euphoria. The postscript would always be a crisp two-word message from the management to the players — ‘Well done’ or ‘Bad Luck’.Such a light atmosphere can, more often than not, have a positive effect on the players and coaching staff, and Zaheer Khan, the newly-appointed head coach, can relish the informal environment. The former India pacer has never been known to be a hard taskmaster and, with MS Dhoni also in the same ‘cool’ mould, it could make for a good joint venture. The chemistry between two Indian legends could, well, click.That is the first big signal from the development at CSK, one of the most successful franchises in the IPL. It re-establishes that Dhoni continues to be the top decision-maker at the franchise and that his word remains final on the team’s affairs. He did not feature in a single game last season but continues to call the shots. The franchise waited for his return from the US, which came only recently, before finalising the coach.“It was not an administrative decision. The cricket committee decided this. It was MS’s suggestion. He spoke to captain Rutu (Ruturaj Gikwad) and both had a discussion with owner Rupa (Gurunath) and thus the decision was arrived at,” revealed CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan to Cricbuzz. Zaheer comes in initially on a one-year contract.Dhoni and Zaheer had played together for a long time for the Indian team, featuring in 164 games across formats from 2004 to 2014, and it is expected that they will bring back the cutting edge that CSK always enjoyed over other teams — something they have been missing over the last few years. Not that an overseas coach could not have built a good partnership with Dhoni — the likes of Gary Kirsten and Stephen Fleming have done so — but here, Dhoni chose his pal.The Super Kings are believed to have engaged with a few overseas candidates after Fleming quit a few months ago. Eoin Morgan is understood to have said no. He was approached by another franchise too, and his response is believed to have been that he is comfortable with his current commentary job and wants to stick to it. Mike Hussey, the side’s batting coach, was another name in the mix, and it is understood that he might continue in that role for now.As for Zaheer, it will be his third stint as a coach in the IPL. His one-year association as Lucknow Super Giants’ mentor ahead of the 2025 season did not work out well, and there were several unflattering stories from the LSG dressing room. His stint with Mumbai Indians, from 2018 to 2023, was very eventful.MI won two titles during that period, but there was something more to Zaheer’s MI stint. In particular, he was believed to have advised the MI management not to retain Hardik Pandya. Pandya was instantly roped in by newcomers Gujarat Titans, where he became a highly successful captain. He led the side to the championship in his first year and to second place in his second and final year in Ahmedabad. It took an enormous effort for MI to bring him back to Mumbai. That he has become dispensable now is a different matter.Now, what will happen to the much-talked-about Pandya trade from MI to CSK? Whether it will happen is anyone’s guess, but Viswanathan says the franchise has not gone that far in its discussions with the new coach. It should be one of the immediate tasks for the Dhoni-Ruturaj-Zaheer combination.Zaheer had come close to becoming India’s bowling coach when the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) recommended his name for the role in July 2017, but head coach Ravi Shastri chose to stick with Bharat Arun. Zaheer, however, commands respect among youngsters who regard his mentoring skills. He may, well, succeed in continuing at CSK for a long time, despite his current one-year contract, if not as long as Fleming, his predecessor.
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