'They are strategically wrong' - Sadagoppan Ramesh slams CSK ahead of IPL 2027 Retention Deadline

Sadagoppan Ramesh has expressed strong criticism of Chennai Super Kings' decision to operate without a specialist batting coach for the IPL 2027 season. The former India batter described the franchise's move as both surprising and strategically flawed, citing CSK's recent batting struggles as the primary reason for his concern.

Michael Hussey departed from CSK after eight years with the franchise, and the coaching restructure has seen the team appoint Zaheer Khan, Mohit Sharma, Gareth Batty and Albie Morkel to their coaching setup for the upcoming season. Ramesh's assessment highlights a significant imbalance in the new coaching structure. While Zaheer, Mohit, and Batty were bowlers, Morkel was a bowling all-rounder

"It's not just a surprise but a shock that CSK are going in without a batting coach next year. More than being a surprise, I also feel this is strategically wrong. Everyone knows that CSK have struggled massively the last two years. But breaking down the numbers from the last two IPL seasons, CSK are actually in the top two for the lowest average runs conceded," Ramesh said on his Instagram handle.

Why is CSK's coaching decision strategically flawed?

CSK's defensive record over the past two seasons has been among the strongest in the league, yet their batting has been a consistent weakness. The franchise has averaged just 178 runs across matches in the last two IPL seasons, placing them in the bottom two for team totals. This disparity between their bowling and batting performances forms the crux of Ramesh's criticism.

"However, with the bat, they are bottom two for average team totals in the last two seasons (178). So it's clear that CSK's main issue has been the batting. Yet, they've fully loaded up on the bowling front in their coaching setup with Zaheer Khan, Mohit Sharma, Gareth Batty, and Albie Morkel, who is also a bowling all-rounder." Ramesh said.

Ramesh noted that CSK struggled in recent seasons despite having Michael Hussey as their batting coach, making the decision to operate without a specialist in that role even more puzzling. The franchise has several young batters in their squad who could benefit from dedicated batting expertise and mentorship.

Could MS Dhoni step in as a batting mentor?

Ramesh wondered whether the talismanic MS Dhoni will step in as the batting coach or a mentor to the young batters in the side. There is still no confirmation on whether Dhoni will continue as a player in IPL 2027.

"CSK have struggled the last two years even with Michael Hussey as batting coach, and yet they've opted to go with no one at the position when there are several young batters in the side. It also makes one wonder if Dhoni himself might be personally involved and groom the batters and youngsters like a mentor," Ramesh said.

Ramesh's final observation centres on the uncertainty surrounding MS Dhoni's involvement with the franchise. The former CSK captain's playing status for IPL 2027 remains unconfirmed, and Ramesh suggested that Dhoni's potential role as a batting mentor could justify the coaching structure decision.

"It remains to be seen if CSK surprise us with such a move because it's unclear whether Dhoni will return as a player. If something like that happens, then it's superb for CSK. Otherwise, I feel CSK should have balanced their coaching hires instead of loading up on the bowling front." Ramesh said.