Former Indian off-spinner and commentator Ravi Ashwin has expressed his views on the former left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan’s appointment as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach for the forthcoming IPL 2027 season.
With Stephen Fleming exiting the franchise after his 18-year association, CSK appointed Zaheer as a new head coach for a period of one year with scope for further extension. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin questioned the reason behind the one-year contract.
“Say Sanju Samson or Ruturaj Gaikwad or Shivam Dube, when they first heard this news that Zaheer Khan is the coach for one year, how can these players go to him and collaborate by telling him all that has happened over the last couple of years and the things they can improve on in the next two to three years when he is on a one-year contract? If these players say to Zaheer that Kartik Sharma is an excellent player and can bat at No.4, and Zaheer plays Kartik at the position for five games and he fails miserably in all five, Zaheer might think, I have only one year, and I have to deliver results, which could lead to him dropping Kartik Sharma,” Ravi Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“But if Zaheer knew he had three to four years, he would give Kartik Sharma a long rope in the same situation and groom him at No.4 and make him a champion cricketer. So, I was surprised by the one-year contract. I also heard that many coaches did not agree to this one-year contract. But I am not sure how feasible short-term contracts are,” he added.
Zaheer, who played 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is for India, worked as Director of Cricket and Global Head at MI from 2018 to 2022. Later, he was roped in by LSG as team mentor from 2024 to 2025.
“Finalising a coach wasn’t easy at all for CSK, mainly because of this one-year contract. It is tough for the coach. The IPL quality is so high that even if a coach does everything, results are not guaranteed. But we also don’t know the discussions CSK has had with Zaheer. They may have agreed to a fresh contract with him after the next season, based on how next year goes,” Ashwin concluded.
