End of a historic era in CSK. (Photo- PTI)
Stephen Fleming steps down as CSK head coach: A big news has come out from the camp of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the most successful franchises of IPL. Chennai Super Kings and head coach Stephen Fleming, who has been associated with the team for the last 18 years, have decided to part ways with each other with mutual consent. According to the franchise, this big decision was taken after several rounds of talks between Fleming and CSK management, which marks the end of a historic era for Chennai.
Journey from player to coach
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming joined Chennai Super Kings as a player in the debut season of IPL in 2008. The very next year i.e. in 2009, he took over the responsibility of the head coach of the team. From 2009 to 2026, Fleming along with former Indian captain MS Dhoni formed a strong duo that created history in the IPL. Under his supervision, CSK emerged as the most consistently performing team in the league.
Historic achievements of CSK during Fleming’s tenure
Stephen Fleming has made a big contribution in making Chennai Super Kings a brand and champion team. In these 18 years, Chennai Super Kings performed very well. While Fleming was the coach, Chennai Super Kings won the IPL title 5 times and captured the Champions League T20 trophy twice. Under his supervision, CSK made it to the playoffs a record 12 times. Apart from this, the Chennai team entered the IPL finals a record 10 times during Fleming’s tenure.
Apart from the IPL, Fleming also coached other Super Kings teams (Joburg Super Kings in SA20 and Texas Super Kings in MLC). His teams reached the playoffs in all four seasons of SA20 and the first three seasons of MLC, but never played the final. The Texas Super Kings team finished at the bottom in the 2026 MLC season and could not even make it to the playoffs, which proved to be Fleming’s last assignment with the Super Kings franchise.
