KS Viswanathan, the CEO of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), said they have always respected the decisions taken by the legendary MS Dhoni and that the decision on his future in the franchise has been left to him, which they expect will come at an appropriate time. The future of Dhoni, 42, as a CSK player has been a topic of immense speculation after CSK failed to enter the IPL 2024 playoffs following a 27-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in its must-win final league match, to finish in fifth place in the points table. “I do not know. It is a question only MS (Dhoni) can answer. We have always respected the decisions taken by MS. We have left it to him and as all of you know he has always taken his decisions and announced them at the appropriate time,” the CSK boss said.

“We do expect that we will get a decision as and when he decides. But we are very hopeful he’ll be available for CSK next year. That is the view and expectation of the fans and mine,” said Viswanathan in a video posted by the franchise on YouTube.

He also felt CSK’s long-serving head coach, former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, won’t apply for the India men’s head coach job, whose deadline for applications is May 27. “Actually I got a lot of calls from the Indian journalists inquiring whether he is interested in taking a job with the Indian team.”

“So I jokingly asked him, ‘Have you applied for the Indian coaching assignment?’ And Stephen just laughed and said, ‘Do you want me to?’ I know that it’s not going to be his cup of tea because he doesn’t like to be involved for nine to 10 months in a year. That’s my feeling. I have not discussed anything more with him,” he added.

Just ahead of the IPL 2024 season, Dhoni handed over the leadership duties to opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, surprising many onlookers. Viswanathan revealed how the CSK management had discussed the leadership handover from Dhoni to Gaikwad.

“The discussions we had with the team management from before a couple of years ago when Ruturaj came into the CSK and started performing well, we felt that he would be a good choice to captain the side. Both Flem (Fleming) and MS (Dhoni) had long discussions with him, they had plans to make him as a future captain.”

“His performances, and also the way he approached the game, and his thoughts whenever he spoke with MS as well as Fleming… both of them felt that he’ll be a good captain at CSK. And we were not disappointed; he led the side comfortably. The seniors also helped him. It has not affected his performance with the bat. He has continued to be a very consistent performer,” he noted.

Viswanathan observed that Gaikwad wasn’t affected by leadership duties and expressed gratitude to CSK fans for accepting the change in the side’s leadership.

“The pressure of captaincy has not affected him. We look forward to his contribution to CSK in the future. The pressure is too high because he’s following the footsteps of MS Dhoni.”

“Nobody can match him, but MS had the confidence that Rutu (Gaikwad) has it in him to do a very good job. The acceptance from the crowd really helped him for sure, that is for sure. Because if there is pressure from the crowd, you can imagine what happened to other captains,” he said.

“I think CSK fans accepted what MS Dhoni had given to Ruturaj as captain because he (Dhoni) had chosen him. The team management chose him as the captain. And all of you know, never has the management of CSK interfered with the cricketing matters.”

“So, that helped Rutu also, because he was very clear that the instructions have come from team management. He had the responsibility to deliver. I’m confident he will do very well in the future years also.”

“Definitely, the CSK management, as well as the fans, have helped the CSK team to do very well. That is important because there is no interference in creating matters with the team. They are left with their job to do.”

“It adds more responsibility to the team. They know now there is not going to be interference from the management, which means they have to deliver. They are professionals; they have to deliver. That has helped us,” he concluded.

File photo of MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid© BCCI/sportzpics

When the 2024 T20 World Cup ends in June, it will mark the end of tenure for current coach Rahul Dravid. The BCCI has already advertised for interested candidates to apply for the top job, with the deadline being May 27. The tenure of the next coach will run till December 31, 2027. It effectively means that the coach will remain till the 2027 ODI World Cup.  While there have been many names that are doing the rounds, some of the most prominent are Stephen Fleming, Ricky Ponting, Gautam Gambhir among others.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the BCCI top brass has already informally held discussion with Stephen Fleming. The New Zealander has been the coach of Chennai Super Kings for a long time and understands the Indian players and conditions well. 

The report, However, also added that with the new coach requiring to be with the Indian cricket team for 10 months in a year, it is yet to be seen whether Fleming actually applies or not. 

However, CSK have denied any such rumours and CEO  Kasi Viswanathan said that there has been no such communication between Fleming and the franchise till now. “I have not heard anything like this. There has been no communication from Stephen Fleming to CSK either,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told Sports Now.

The Fleming-coached CSK’s journey in the IPl 2024 is over. On Monday, CSK had an interesting post for their coach. “Every move with his guidance, Every roar with his inputs, Every step with his support,  Our Gaffer!” the X post said. 

Every move with his guidance,

Every roar with his inputs,

Every step with his support,

Our Gaffer! #WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/lZMmfaMx3q

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 20, 2024

The required “qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills” for the top post are also interesting.

“Should have played minimum of 30 Test Matches or 50 ODI’s; or Head Coach of a full member Test Playing Nation, for a minimum period of 2 years; or Head Coach of an Associate member /IPL Team or Equivalent International League/First Class Teams/ National A teams, for a minimum period of 3 years; or Should have BCCI Level 3 Certification or equivalent; and Should be below 60 years of age,” a BCCI release stated.

Regarding remuneration, the BCCI says its “negotiable and will be commensurated with experience.”

The ‘operating environment’ column is also interesting. It reads: “Must be willing to meet work expectations and pressures associated with handling marquee athletes.”

The position of the Indian team’s head coach is up for grabs with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in search of a top candidate to replace current chief Rahul Dravid. With his current term ending after June, Dravid is unwilling to continue as the head coach. Dravid was handpicked as head coach in 2021 by the then BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. His initial term came to an end after the ODI World Cup last year, but the board and the former Indian captain agreed to extend the contract till June 2024.

Former India batter VVS Laxman, who succeeded Dravid as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), is one of the possible options. However, there is no indication that Laxman will apply for the job.

Jay Shah had also revealed that the BCCI is also looking at overseas candidates to replace Dravid, but it will only be considered depending on the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC)’s recommendations.

“If the CAC selects a foreign coach, I can’t interfere. A few interviews for the selector’s post have already happened. We will announce it soon,” Shah had said during a media interaction last week.

Having said that, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and ex-New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming have also been approached by the BCCI for the role of the head coach.

However, according to a report in RevSportz, Ponting and Fleming are both reluctant to take the job.

“Two experienced foreign coaches, Chennai Super Kings’ Stephen Fleming and Delhi Capitals’ Ricky Ponting, have been informally sounded out by the BCCI. But the response from their side hasn’t been very positive. Both have been plying their trade in the IPL for a long time. They know Indian cricket inside-out. But the round the year job might prove to be a deterrent,” the report suggested.

For the record, Ponting had also been approached by the BCCI in 2021 after Ravi Shastri‘s tenure came to an end.

Ponting’s former Australia teammate Justin Langer‘s name has also appeared of late.

The deadline for applying for the post is May 27, with Dravid’s replacement will remain in charge until the 2027 World Cup.