Ravichandran Ashwin backs MS Dhoni as ideal successor to Stephen Fleming as CSK's head coach

Ravichandran Ashwin (Pic: File Pic)

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Stephen Fleming decided to mutually part ways on Tuesday. This also marked one of the most successful and enduring partnerships in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) history.

With this, former Team India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the Chennai-based franchise has no better person than MS Dhoni to take over as head coach.

"Fleming really understood what ticked [MS] Dhoni, and Dhoni understood that Fleming was a great lieutenant, and that partnership carried on for such a long time. I would say it was about time Chennai Super Kings looked beyond," he said according to ESPNcricinfo.

The former cricketer also feels that Dhoni still plays a big role in deciding the squad that will be picked.

"If Dhoni is willing to do that [take over as coach], there is no better person that Chennai Super Kings can go after. If not, they need to find someone who will be able to operate independently and take accountability for his or her own actions. I think there is a small aspect of uncertainty for anybody who will walk into that dressing room. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a huge name, and he's still very much a part of the discussion when you're talking about a squad that will be picked to play," said Ashwin.

Fleming was working with CSK since the inaugural season of the cash-rich league. He was appointed as the head coach of the team in 2009 and over the next 17 years, Fleming built one of the most respected set-ups in franchise cricket.

Under Fleming, the Super Kings won five IPL trophies as well as 2 Champions League Twenty20 tournaments. The team has entered the playoffs a record 12 times, while also being part of 10 IPL finals.

Indian Premier League 2026: Winners

In the concluded IPL 2026, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) successfully defended the title.

The Royal Challengers defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. RCB's superstar Virat Kohli was named the "Player of the Match" for his unbeaten knock of 75 runs off just 42 deliveries. He also smashed nine boundaries and three maximums during his match-winning knock.

(With ANI Inputs)