MS Dhoni and Hemang Badani [Source: AFP and X]After MS Dhoni missed the entire season of the Indian Premier League this year, speculations have been storming up regarding his comeback into the game of cricket ahead of the next season.Amid talks of a new coach in the CSK camp after Stephen Fleming’s exit, Dhoni’s name has also surfaced given the recent injury concerns he has been dealing with. The internet and the cricketing experts think Dhoni will be better off as the coach of the team in IPL 2027 rather than returning as a player.Doubling down on this possibility, ex-India player and former chief selector Kris Srikkanth has voiced his opinion on Dhoni as CSK head coach while shutting down Hemang Badani rumours.MS Dhoni backed to be coach of CSKSpeaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said MS Dhoni himself is enough and can work as the CSK head coach for the coming season.Dismissing the rumours of Hemang Badani as the possible coach of the team, Srikkanth told that the ex-DC coach does not have the credentials to become a CSK head coach."There is no way Hemang Badani should be CSK's head coach. He didn't do anything in DC. I don't know why CSK should go all-out for him. He is nothing special as a coach. When you have Dhoni, why do you even need someone else as coach? Dhoni himself is enough as head coach," said Srikkanth on his YouTube channel.Also Read- Revealed- How Many CSK Shares MS Dhoni Has?Dismissing Badani, Srikkanth further explained why he would not make a good CSK mentor since an international-level player or big coaches can only join CSK. He meanwhile also suggested the name of Chandrakant Pandit if Dhoni is willing to work with an Indian coach."If Dhoni is preferring an Indian coach, then I would go for Chandrakant Pandit. He's a good guy and has won trophies. But CSK should go for an Indian option. Either the coach must have been a great international player or achieved big as a coach at the domestic or IPL level," said Srikkanth.What is MS Dhoni’s current status for IPL 2027?Recently, in an interview with Kris Srikkanth, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan shared the possibility of Dhoni playing IPL 2027, which partially dismissed Kris’ prediction of Dhoni becoming the CSK head coach.In the interview, Kasi shared that Dhoni hasn’t confirmed anything to the CSK franchise yet, whether he will be playing the 2027 season or not, which still keeps him in frame as a player."Dhoni hasn't yet said he won't play. So let's wait," Kasi Viswanathan said when asked about the star player’s availability for next season.Hence, it is still under a cloud whether Dhoni is willing to take up the head coach role or continue as a player.Kris Srikkanth asks CSK to take timeSpeaking of the search for the next head coach, Kris shared that the team has enough time to research and find suitable candidates for the job in IPL 2027."It's fine that CSK are taking their time. There is no necessity to make the decision in a hurry. The auction will only be in December, so there's enough time. So they shouldn't rush it at all and should think calmly to make the right decision," said Srikkanth.For the unaware, MS Dhoni hasn't ever mentored any team till date. He retired from international cricket back in August 2020 and since then has been playing the IPL. His outcome with the bat in the 2025 season saw an average of 24.50 from the 13 matches he played.Also Read- Steve Smith's Record In The Ashes As Ashes 2027 Falls In Jeopardy
