CSK appoint Zaheer Khan as head coach after Stephen Fleming's exit

Zaheer Khan, CSK's MS Dhoni

NEW DELHI: Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Monday appointed former India pacer Zaheer Khan as their head coach."Left Arm 'Taking' Over! Welcoming Zaheer Khan as the Head Coach of Chennai Super Kings," CSK said in a post on X.

Zaheer Khan will take over as Chennai Super Kings' head coach from Stephen Fleming, who held the position from 2009 to 2026. CSK parted ways with Fleming after failing to make the play-offs for a third season in a row.Zaheer played 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is for India. He was India's highest wicket-taker during their 2011 ODI World Cup-winning campaign, taking 21 wickets.

Since retiring from the IPL in 2017, Zaheer has worked with several teams.

He represented three IPL teams, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, before joining MI as their Director of Cricket Operations ahead of the 2019 season. He later became the franchise's head of global development.Zaheer was named Lucknow Super Giants' mentor for IPL 2025 but left the franchise ahead of the following season.As a player, Zaheer made 100 IPL appearances and took 102 wickets at an average of 27.27. Across formats for India, he finished with 610 wickets.