Dinesh would be perfect: Hayden bats for Karthik as CSK’s new coach

With the head coach position vacant following Stephen Fleming's departure, former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden believes that Dinesh Karthik, now the batting coach for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, could be a suitable candidate to lead Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming IPL season. Fleming's coaching tenure with MS Dhoni yielded five IPL titles, and Hayden hopes that CSK can replicate that success with a local coach like Karthik.

While international coaches are not uncommon, Hayden stresses the importance of having a coach with a strong connection to the franchise and its city. The Chennai side, without Dhoni playing in this IPL edition, finished eighth in the points table. Hayden praises the partnership between Dhoni and Fleming, which yielded incredible results, and suggests that foreign staff can be part of the support team, but the head coach should have a local touch.

Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also mentioned Eoin Morgan as a potential successor to Fleming, but Hayden is eager to see who will ultimately take on the role.