IPL 2026: CSK to appoint THIS former England wicket-keeper as fielding coach- Reports
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead CSK in IPL 2026.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have kicked off their preparations for the Indian Cricket League 2026. The five-time champions will aim to make a comeback following a poor show last season.
The five-time champions have begun a pre-season camp for their Indian players, with members like MS Dhoni, Ayush Mhatre, and Ruturaj Gaikwad in attendance.
CSK gave a dismal performance last season, winning just four games and losing 10 out of 14 encounters. With eight points, they ended in the last spot in the points table. Due to Gaikwad’s ouster due to an elbow injury after five matches, Dhoni led the side in the remainder of the tournament.
Alongside head coach Stephen Fleming, the Men-in-Yellow have a strong set of support staff who will guide them in IPL 2026. The CSK’s support staff currently includes Mike Hussey as batting coach, Eric Simons as bowling coach, assistant bowling coach Sridharan Sriram, and Rajiv Kumar.
Moreover, the Super Kings are likely to appoint a former England stalwart as fielding coach for the upcoming season.
James Foster to join CSK as fielding coach for IPL 2026- Reports
According to a report by Cricbuzz, the Super Kings have appointed former England wicket-keeper batter James Foster as the fielding coach for IPL 2026. 45-year-old Foster represented England in seven tests, 11 ODIs, and five T20Is during his career from 2001 to 2009.
He has also served as the fielding coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. He has also worked with franchises such as Desert Vipers, Northern Superchargers, and Peshawar Zalmi in other franchise T20 leagues. Foster is likely to take charge as CSK’s fielding coach later this month.
Meanwhile, CSK made one of the biggest deals in the tournament’s history ahead of the 2026 edition. They traded out all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in exchange for wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson.
Samson and Shivam Dube are currently busy in the T20 World Cup 2026 and join the pre-season camp after March 8.
Who has been appointed as CSK’s fielding coach for IPL 2026?
James Foster has been appointed as CSK’s fielding coach for IPL 2026, according to a report by Cricbuzz.
Who will captain Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026?
Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain the team in the tournament.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.