• Source:JND

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are still looking for a new head coach after Stephen Fleming ended his long association with the franchise earlier this year and took over as England’s head coach. Several names have been linked with the job, including former England captain Eoin Morgan.

Why is Dinesh Karthik a great choice for CSK?

However, former Australia opener and CSK great Matthew Hayden has once again backed Dinesh Karthik for the role. Hayden believes Karthik’s strong connection with Chennai and Tamil Nadu could make him an ideal choice to lead the five-time IPL champions.

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“Well, I feel like Dinesh Karthik would be a really good choice for CSK. He has been kind of under the tutelage of other world-class coaches, including names like Andy Flower, for example, who have had very successful playing and coaching careers. But being a local Tamil boy, I feel like that is a really important piece. It’s not a must have, but for Tamil Nadu cricket in particular, I just felt like CSK has always been backed by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. So I feel like some local flavour would be the next best step for CSK,” Hayden said while speaking on Wisden Cricket podcast.

CSK won their fifth IPL title in 2023 but had a disappointing campaign in the previous season. The team finished eighth in the points table and failed to make the playoffs. MS Dhoni also did not play a single game during the campaign, while Ruturaj Gaikwad led the side.

Why should CSK go with an Indian coach?

Hayden also highlighted the challenges faced by foreign coaches while working in the IPL, especially when it comes to communication. He feels Karthik could bring a valuable local connection to the CSK setup.

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“CSK notoriously picks from afar. You know, they drive over fish to get to fish. There have been very few players that have actually come from Tamil Nadu itself. They play everywhere else. But, I mean, our side at Gujarat (Titans), it’s full of Tamil boys, which we love because they love the game. The one thing I’ll say is it’s very difficult to be a foreign coach in the IPL as well. I give great credit to those that do it because there are some natural language barriers, especially not so much the seasoned campaigners and veterans of Indian cricket, but which sides are littered with. But to have that impact with the next level players, where it’s difficult to communicate at times, is a little frustrating. So having that local element that can be almost a translator, who can manage up and manage down with no language barriers, I think that’s a big factor in the IPL,” said Hayden.


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