Hello Yellow Army!
As you already know, the CSK team is going through a tough time. We have had back-to-back bad IPL seasons and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third year in a row, which is a first for CSK.
Rightly so, changes were needed, not just in the squad but also in the support staff. After the IPL 2026 and then the MLC 2026, Stephen Fleming finally stepped down from the head coach position at CSK.
Months after that, CSK announced his replacement, Zaheer Khan, as the new head coach for IPL 2027, with an extension possible later, though that is not yet confirmed.
As the revamp of the staff continues, our former bowling coach Eric Simmons has also left CSK, and Mohit Sharma is reportedly, though not officially, next in line for the bowling job.
Now, according to a new Cricbuzz report, CSK have already parted ways with Mike Hussey and are looking for a new batting coach.
Mike Hussey has been with CSK since 2008 as a player, where he hit a century for CSK in the very first match. He continued playing for CSK, missing a few seasons and switching teams, until 2015, and then joined the CSK coaching management in 2018 as batting coach.
Hussey at CSK: The Numbers
Before the coaching job, Hussey was a proper CSK batter. Here is his full record in yellow, from our IPL data:
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike rate | Highest score | 100s / 50s | Player of the Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 1,768 | 45.3 | 123.6 | 116 | 1 / 13 | 10 |
He also hit 181 fours and 45 sixes and took 23 catches for CSK. And season by season:
| Season | Matches | Runs | Strike rate | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 3 | 168 | 168.0 | 12 | 11 |
| 2010 | 3 | 37 | 84.1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | 14 | 492 | 118.8 | 53 | 6 |
| 2012 | 8 | 261 | 110.6 | 28 | 8 |
| 2013 | 17 | 733 | 129.5 | 81 | 17 |
| 2015 | 4 | 77 | 110.0 | 5 | 3 |
His 2013 was the big one, 733 runs in 17 matches, and in 2011, one of our title years, he scored 492 in 14. Those 3 matches in 2008 gave him 168 runs at a strike rate of 168, including that first-match hundred.
Hussey as Batting Coach
As batting coach, he won 3 IPL trophies in 2018, 2021 and 2023, plus 2 as a player in 2010 and 2011. Basically, he has been there in some role in every IPL season we have won.
If you look at Hussey's stint as batting coach, CSK have been known for giving almost-retired players a second chance, and they have proved us right. Players like Rahane, Uthappa, Watson, Sarfaraz and Dube came to CSK when no one believed in them, but they turned out to be heroes.
Even young players like Ruturaj and Kartik Sharma blossomed under batting coach Hussey, thanks to the bond and good relationship he shared with them. You can read more about Ruturaj's captaincy ahead of IPL 2027 here.
Times change, and so does the management. CSK have not had a good time in the recent past, so it was definitely time to revamp the whole team and try our luck with new ideas, as the IPL is also changing and demands a new approach.
I hope he keeps doing for other teams what he did for us. Kudos to him and good luck to CSK, and let's see who gets this new role, which is tough to fill and tough to match with Hussey's achievements.
Stay healthy stay yellow.