Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has shed light on Chennai Super Kings’ foreign head coach options for IPL 2027. CSK recently parted ways with Stephen Fleming, who led the franchise to five titles in his tenure.
Chopra suggested that Brendon McCullum can be one of the contenders to take over as CSK’s head coach as the New Zealander also played for the franchise in the past.
“How about Brendon McCullum? Why am I thinking about Brendon McCullum? The England story has just ended. He has had a relationship with Chennai. He is a captain’s coach. He backs the captain fully. He and the captain have a tuning. He is a players’ coach. We have seen that very well with him in England. He has been that kind of character,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“He might form an excellent partnership with Ruturaj (Gaikwad). Chennai have a philosophy of backing their players to the hilt, and he is aligned with that philosophy. He is from New Zealand. They like coaches from New Zealand. So, in that respect, Brendon McCullum could be one of the guys,” he added.
Chopra reckons batting coach Michael Hussey can also take over as CSK’s head coach.
“One is part of their coaching setup. He goes by the name Mr Cricket. Michael Hussey could definitely be an option because he is extremely diligent and stays almost in the shadows. He stays in the background and does a good job. Whoever has worked with him says he is extremely hard-working,” the former Kolkata Knight Riders player stated.
“He will put in the hard yards. He is aligned with Chennai’s philosophy that one shouldn’t make frequent changes, the captain should be backed, the environment should be maintained, and they stick with the players they show confidence in. You feel Michael Hussey might have those qualities, and he is already attached to this team. So Michael Hussey could be one of the candidates,” he added.
The renowned commentator said former CSK all-rounder Albie Morkel could be another option for the chief coach role.
“What about Albie Morkel? You remember the Chennai connection, but more importantly, he has been attached to their franchises in different places. He has even been made head coach for the Johannesburg Super Kings,” the cricketer-turned-commentator said.”Albie Morkel is the leader of their core coaching team. He played for Chennai as well. They don’t leave people once you get attached to them. So can Albie Morkel be that coach who takes this team forward? He might be the frontrunner,” he added.
Last but not the least, Chopra picked Darren Sammy as a potential candidate to coach CSK.
“What about Darren Sammy? No one talks about Darren Sammy. He is very underrated, but he is a good coach. He gets the team together. He is tactically extremely sharp. He understands T20 extremely well. He is also a multiple-time World Cup winner as a captain,” Chopra observed.
