Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed that Eoin Morgan is strongly linked to the Chennai Super Kings head coach role ahead of IPL 2027 and that a decision could come within the next week. Ashwin made the statement on his YouTube channel on August 12, citing his own sources inside the game.
“I have a strong hunch. Eoin Morgan’s name is strongly linked to the CSK head coach role, per my sources. I think a decision will be made in the next week.”
Ravichandran Ashwin, YouTube channel, August 12, 2026
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Ashwin also said he personally believes MS Dhoni should be given the bigger role, calling it a more natural fit given that finding a replacement for Fleming has been delayed and the mega auction is only a year away. But his Morgan claim is what shifts the conversation around CSK’s search for Fleming’s replacement.
Insider Read:
Morgan’s name tells you what actually want from their next head coach. Stephen Fleming was never a drills-and-data coach. He was a strategic mind who understood how to manage Dhoni’s influence while still running his own setup. A culture architect. If CSK are looking at Morgan, they want that again. A captain-whisperer who can step into a room full of big names and set direction without needing a clipboard. Morgan fits that profile. If they want a technical operator instead, he does not. This is a choice about what CSK think the head coach role actually is.
Where Morgan Fits in CSK’s Coach Search
Ashwin’s claim lands in the middle of a search for CSK’s new coach that has been running since Fleming left for the England Test coaching role in late July. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed the team will appoint an overseas head coach, with Dhoni and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad involved in the decision.
Three names had dominated the conversation before Ashwin’s statement. Albie Morkel, who won two IPL titles with CSK as a player, was recently appointed head coach of Joburg Super Kings, CSK’s SA20 sister team, a move widely read as a stepping stone. Mike Hussey has been CSK’s batting coach since 2018. Hemang Badani, the former Delhi Capitals head coach, was also reported as a contender.
Morgan has never held a coaching role at any level. But in July 2024, he said on Sky Sports that he wanted to coach “down the line,” adding that the timing was not right because of his young family.
“Yes, I want to coach down the line, but I’ve got a young family and I spend a lot more time at home.”
Eoin Morgan, Sky Sports, July 2024
Two years have passed since that statement. Eoin Morgan would be the first World Cup-winning captain with no coaching experience to take one of the IPL’s biggest coaching jobs. Whether CSK see that as a risk or exactly the profile they want is the question Ashwin’s claim now forces into the open.
Sources:
Ashwin, YouTube channel, August 12, 2026
Also Read:
- Ashwin Backs Dhoni as CSK Head Coach, Warns Any Outsider Must Be Given Freedom
- McCullum and Fleming Linked to CSK Coach Role
- Woakes Backs Fleming as England Coach
- Bravo Returns as CSK Bowling Coach from KKR
- Stokes to CSK for IPL 2027 Under New BCCI Rule
- CSK Overton, Pandya, Stokes Trade and BCCI Rule
- CSK Deny Hardik Pandya Trade Rumours Ahead of IPL 2027
- Ashwin on Dravid’s Coaching Style and Planning
- Ashwin on BCCI Rule and Chief Selector
