Kris Srikkanth has ruled out both Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum for the Chennai Super Kings head coach vacancy ahead of IPL 2027.
Speaking on his YouTube channel Cheeky Cheeka, the former India captain dismissed both names linked with the role left vacant after Stephen Fleming’s departure. Fleming served CSK for 18 years and guided the franchise to five IPL titles before the two parted ways by mutual consent after IPL 2026.
“I won’t go for Eoin Morgan for sure. He was a good player and a good captain for England. But as a coach, I won’t accept him as an option. Even as KKR’s captain, he didn’t do anything great. It’ll be best if he just sticks with commentary.”
Kris Srikkanth, Cheeky Cheeka YouTube channel, August 2026
“Likewise, it’ll be good for CSK if they don’t appoint Brendon McCullum as the head coach. They should say no to both Morgan and McCullum.”
Kris Srikkanth, Cheeky Cheeka YouTube channel, August 2026
Srikkanth instead backed current CSK batting coach Michael Hussey as the automatic choice, calling him the best candidate already inside the franchise.
🚨CSK should say no to both Morgan and McCullum – Kris Srikkanth🤯
Kris Srikkanth said :🗣️
“I won’t go for Eoin Morgan for sure. He was a good player and a good captain for England. But as a coach, I won’t accept him as an option. Even for KKR as KKR’s captain, he didn’t do… pic.twitter.com/Bsq3On7Hpy
— Akshat (@Cricketmythos) August 16, 2026
Why Morgan was dismissed
Morgan led England to the 2019 ODI World Cup title. That achievement is not in question. His IPL captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders is.
Morgan captained KKR in 2020 and 2021. The team finished fifth in 2020, missing the playoffs entirely. In 2021, KKR reached the final but lost to CSK. He has no coaching experience at any level. Srikkanth’s position is clear: a World Cup winning captain does not automatically become a franchise head coach.
Why McCullum was dismissed
McCullum coached KKR from 2020 to 2022. After the 2021 final appearance, KKR finished seventh in 2022 under his watch. He then moved to England as Test coach in May 2022, where Bazball produced early results but collapsed over time. A 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia was followed by a 2-1 home series loss to New Zealand, and the ECB sacked him from the Test role in July 2026. He remains England’s white-ball coach.
Srikkanth sees no reason for CSK to take on a coach who was removed from his most recent Test assignment.
Insider Read
What most coverage misses is that Morgan and McCullum were not separate candidates. They were a captain-coach partnership at KKR. They already tried building something together, and it never reached CSK’s level. Fleming lasted 18 years because he understood something both Morgan and McCullum never had to: how to coach around a figure like Dhoni without competing for authority. CSK’s next coach needs that specific temperament. Neither Morgan nor McCullum has shown it.
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