Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin revealed MS Dhoni could be Chennai Super Kings’ mentor in IPL 2027Scroll down to read the full story.
Published: October 17, 2026, 6:42 PM IST
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RAshwin shares MS Dhoni can be CSK’s mentor in IPL 2027 (Image – X)
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes MS Dhoni could take on an official mentorship role with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of IPL 2027.
CSK have made major changes to their coaching team before the new seasonFormer Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been named the team’s new head coach, replacing Stephen Fleming, who left the role after spending 16 years with the franchise.
CSK have also made changes to their bowling staff, with former India pacer Mohit Sharma replacing Eric Simons as the bowling coachThe franchise has also parted ways with batting coach Michael Hussey, who worked with the team for several yearsHowever, CSK have not yet named his replacement.
The future of fielding coach James Foster is also unclear as the franchise has reportedly put his contract extension on hold for now.
Following these changes Ashwin suggested that Dhoni could take up a mentor or advisory role away from the field instead of continuing as a regular player.
The former CSK captain missed the entire IPL 2026 season due to a calf injuryHowever, he has not yet made an official announcement about his retirement.
“With the new coaching staff, it’ll be interesting to watch the dynamic between Dhoni, Zaheer and Ruturaj GaikwadDhoni will likely be the mentorSo how Gaikwad works with Zaheer, or whether he goes to Dhoni, will be interesting to see,” said Ashwin while speaking on his YouTube channel.
Fleming left CSK during a difficult time for the teamAfter MS Dhoni stepped down as captain Ruturaj Gaikwad became the new captainHowever, CSK struggled under his leadership and finished eighth in IPL 2026The team has also failed to reach the playoffs for the last three years.
“Fleming seemingly modified himself to fit in with DhoniHe made himself the perfect fingers to fit into Dhoni’s glovesSo it is surprising to see CSK decide that Fleming couldn’t adapt himself to a new captain after two to three yearsFleming’s modus operandi is to fit in based on the needs of the team and captain,” Ashwin added.
