MS Dhoni with Stephen Fleming in frame | Source - AFP
The legendary coach Stephen Fleming has parted ways with the Super Kings after their sister team, Texas, exited the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC 2026) season.
Ending an 18-year association with the franchise, the former New Zealand captain first became the first coach of the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2009.
The Fleming-MS Dhoni combination worked like a charm, as they won five championships in the lucrative league, along with two Champions League T20 titles. However, as the Kiwi coach's ideas became hackneyed, this directly contributed to the team's downfall.
Moreover, he had been the head coach of the TSK and SA20's Jo'Burg Super Kings, but both the teams have yet to open their silverware account.
Hemang Badani set to replace Stephen Fleming at CSK
The Super Kings made the announcement on Monday after Texas' exit, and within moments, speculation about Stephen Fleming's replacements began.
As reported by the Times of India, Delhi Capitals' former head coach, Hemang Badani, is in line to fill Fleming's massive shoes. Hailing from Chennai, the former India batter didn't have great success as DC's coach and might be replaced by Sourav Ganguly after IPL 2026.
Also Read: CSK Tease With Big Trade Deal, ‘Is Hardik Pandya Coming?’ Ask Fans
"Former India batter Hemang Badani emerging as a contender to join the coaching set-up. The franchise's top brass is currently in Dallas, reviewing the last few seasons and planning the road ahead," the report stated.
Although the 49-year-old didn’t fare well as DC head coach during his two years, he has won four titles in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. He was at the helm of the Dubai Capitals when they won the ILT20 trophy in 2024/25.
Recently, the former Chennai batter was also appointed by Southern Brave ahead of the 2026 campaign, in addition to playing a key role with Seattle Orcas.
Hardik Pandya heading to CSK?
Talking about speculations, there is news floating about the star all-rounder Hardik Pandya moving to the Chennai Super Kings after his relationship with the Mumbai Indians has gone sour.
Although the CSK top boss, Kasi Viswanath, denied the rumours, Pandya and MS Dhoni share a special bond, which is seen as the primary reason for the trade to be formulated.
Moreover, as Dhoni remained absent throughout the IPL 2026, Pandya can play his role at Chennai as a finisher, and he would bring in his leadership skills as well.
Having said that, Chennai already have a couple of leadership options. As the team didn’t do well under Ruturaj Gaikwad, there was speculation about Sanju Samson replacing him. And if Pandya comes into the picture, it will only make things worse if not handled well.
Reportedly, apart from RCB and SRH, all other franchises are interested in trading the prolific cricketer from Mumbai. Meanwhile, MI have yet to decide whether to let go of Pandya.
CSK squad as of yet
Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Kartik Sharma, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew Short, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Macneil Noronha, Dian Forrester, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Aman Khan, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Shreyas Gopal, Spencer Johnson, Gurjapneet Singh, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Akash Madhwal, Kuldip Yadav, Zak Foulkes.
.jpg?type=mq "Stephen Fleming Sacked")
