2 min readUpdated: Aug 13, 2026 11:50 AM IST
Former India all-rounder R Ashwin has opened up about the debate over the potential successor to Stephen Fleming as head coach of five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, claiming that an Englishman could take over the job.
Ashwin, who started his illustrious IPL career with CSK before returning for a final season before retirement to his hometown franchise, said that an Englishman can take over from Fleming. The former New Zealand captain stepped down from the role last month after 17 years at the helm of the franchise. Fleming was subsequently announced as England’s Test head coach.
Ashwin said that while he has heard the names of former CSK players Andrew Flintoff and Brendon McCullum doing the rounds, former England skipper Eoin Morgan has emerged as a favourite to succeed Fleming.
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“Names like Andrew Flintoff and Brendon McCullum have been doing the rounds. That’ll be a good swap to send Stephen Fleming to England and get McCullum here. Now, the ECB are fine with sharing jobs so McCullum can be England’s white-ball coach and do the same with CSK. But I have a feeling that Eoin Morgan could be that Englishman who becomes CSK’s head coach,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin affirmed that though the trade window is active and speculations have been rife with multiple players linked to a CSK trade, the franchise must prioritise the appointment of a head coach.
“It must be remembered that the trade window is ongoing. And CSK are still without a coach. This makes discussing trade deals very hard. While there are rumors about a Hardik Pandya trade for Khaleel Ahmed and Shivam Dube, the incoming coach might feel he could extract the best out of Khaleel or Dube. Let’s not forget that Dube has played in beast mode for CSK themselves two to three years back,” he added.
