Mumbai: After retaining former India skipper MS Dhoni and teammate Suresh Raina, Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have confirmed former Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming as their head coach for the upcoming season.
Fleming was part of the CSK setup in the first IPL edition, where they ended up as runners-up, losing to Rajasthan Royals in the final.
The next season, the 44-year-old took over the coaching duties from Kepler Wessels, leading to IPL title wins in 2010 and 2011. The New Zealand top-order batsman has also helped the Chennai franchise to title triumphs (2010 and 2014) in the now-defunct Champions League.
While Fleming will be the head coach, Michael Hussey will be his deputy, taking his role as the team’s batting coach.
"We want to retain the entire support staff, with Fleming as the coach and Hussey as the batting coach," CSK’s CEO Kasi Viswanath said to Sportstar.
Chennai Super Kings, along with Rajasthan Royals, are returning to the tournament after a two-year absence, having been banned due to the IPL spot-fixing allegations.
For the past two seasons, both the former champions were replaced by Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions.
The auctions for the upcoming IPL edition is all set to be a big affair, as top players will go under the hammer on January 27 and 28 in Bengaluru.
