Hello Yellow Army!
A few days ago, I reported on the overhaul of CSK's staff, especially batting coach Mike Hussey leaving along with bowling coach Eric Simons, who has also already left CSK, though CSK have still not confirmed it publicly.
But the picture now seems clear after the announcement of England men's new coaching staff for the winter tours. And yes, it is true that we have to get the confirmation via England. To be clear, this is based on England's announcement and not on an official statement from CSK, so we will have to wait for the franchise to confirm.
This is because first, when Stephen Fleming left CSK as head coach, he joined England as Test head coach, and now along with him, our bowling coach Eric Simons and fielding coach James Foster have also been named to support him.
It clearly indicates that CSK want to go ahead with a new staff. They have been informed internally, and that is why these coaches have already looked forward to new roles. CSK are already looking for new coaches too, who should be announced officially once they are selected and everything is agreed on terms and conditions. We already know Zaheer Khan is the new head coach, so it will be interesting to see who joins him.
If you don't know, Eric Simons is a former South Africa men's head coach (2002 to 2004). He also worked with India as a bowling consultant from 2010 to 2012, which covers the 2011 ODI World Cup win. Simons has been around the CSK setup for years, and he was also an assistant coach at Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 alongside Albie Morkel.
What Simons and Foster did at CSK
Simons was our bowling coach, looking after the bowling group, and before that he also worked as a bowling coach at Rising Pune Supergiant while CSK were suspended. James Foster is a former England wicketkeeper and was our fielding coach. The Cricbuzz report on Hussey had said that Foster's future was uncertain, and this England news is the first sign of where he is going.
Who comes in next
As I mentioned in the Hussey article, Mohit Sharma is reportedly, though not officially, next in line for the bowling job. The batting coach and the fielding coach spots are still open, so the new support staff under Zaheer Khan is not complete yet.
The full list of changes so far
- Stephen Fleming: head coach, left CSK and is now England's Test head coach
- Mike Hussey: batting coach, parted ways with CSK
- Eric Simons: bowling coach, has also left, and is named in England's staff
- James Foster: fielding coach, named in England's staff
- Zaheer Khan: the new head coach for IPL 2027
It is good that the regular failures have forced a lot of staff changes. That will bring fresh faces with fresh ideas and a new mindset, and hopefully new energy to this already young CSK team.
Who do you want as CSK's new batting coach? Let me know in the comments.
Stay healthy stay yellow.