Ravichandran Ashwin believes MS Dhoni could take up a mentorship role at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for IPL 2027.
CSK have appointed Zaheer Khan as their new head coach after parting ways with Stephen Fleming, who had been associated with the franchise for 19 years, 18 of them as the head coach. Former India pacer Mohit Sharma has also joined the coaching staff as bowling coach.
Dhoni’s role in the revamped setup will be closely watched. The veteran wicketkeeper missed the entire 2026 season because of injuries — he even avoided stepping into Chepauk for most home games — and will be approaching his 46th birthday during the next edition.
“With the new coaching staff, it’ll be interesting to watch the dynamic between Dhoni, Zaheer and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Dhoni will likely be the mentor. So how Gaikwad works with Zaheer, or whether he goes to Dhoni, will be interesting to see,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The former spinner also expressed surprise at CSK’s decision to move on from Fleming, suggesting the New Zealander had adapted his approach to suit Dhoni’s leadership over the years.
Fleming and Dhoni formed the backbone of CSK’s successful era, winning five IPL titles together before Gaikwad took over as captain ahead of the 2024 season, with the New Zealander acting as the man-manager and the Indian as the brain of the team.
“[Fleming] made himself the perfect fingers to fit into Dhoni’s gloves. So it is surprising to see CSK decide that Fleming couldn’t adapt himself to a new captain after two to three years. Fleming’s modus operandi is to fit in based on the needs of the team and captain,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin also suggested Dhoni had played a significant part in shaping the franchise’s latest coaching appointments, but also cautioned that changing personnel would not automatically improve results.
