2026-10-28 · Major update · IPL Guide newsroom
NEW STAFF — Chennai Super Kings announced on 27 October 2026 that former South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel and former England spinner Gareth Batty will serve as assistant coaches for IPL 2027, with former India pacer Mohit Sharma as bowling coach. All three work under new head coach Zaheer Khan, who was appointed on 21 September 2026 in his first head-coaching role in the IPL.
MORKEL RETURNS — Morkel played for CSK from the inaugural season in 2008 until 2013, scoring 827 runs and taking 76 wickets in 78 games, and has been part of the Joburg Super Kings set-up in the SA20 since that league's inception, recently becoming that franchise's head coach. His return reunites him with a dressing room he knows from championship-winning years.
BATTY'S RECORD — Batty, the former England off-spinner, has been part of Surrey's set-up since 2021 and coached the county to three consecutive County Championship titles from 2022 to 2024, before a runners-up finish in 2025. He also served as assistant coach of Oval Invincibles in the men's Hundred in 2025 and has since taken up a role with MI London.
MOHIT'S CSK HISTORY — Mohit Sharma played 48 games for CSK between 2013 and 2019, taking 58 wickets, and also represented Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans before retiring from all forms of cricket in December 2025. In 2023 he finished as Gujarat Titans' second-highest wicket-taker in their run to the final, which they lost to CSK.
THE OVERHAUL — The appointments complete a full reset of CSK's coaching structure after Stephen Fleming's departure to become England's Test head coach, ending a tenure that delivered five IPL titles. Former bowling coach Eric Simons has also joined Fleming's England staff, and Sridharan Sriram remains as assistant coach. CSK managing director Kasi Viswanathan had earlier said Zaheer would be given the freedom to pick his own coaching staff.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT — The new staff's first major task is the retention list due on 15 November 2026, ahead of the mini-auction on 16 December 2026 at ITC Grand Goa. See the <a href="/teams/chennai-super-kings/">CSK squad page</a> and the <a href="/updates/ipl-2027-retention-deadline-15-november-salary-cap-157-crore/">retention-deadline update</a> for what those dates mean.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo, 'Albie Morkel, Mohit Sharma and Gareth Batty appointed CSK assistant coaches', 27 October 2026 (https://www.cricinfo.com/story/albie-morkel-mohit-sharma-and-gareth-batty-appointed-csk-assistant-coaches-1559047); CSK announcement reported 27 October 2026 (Sportskeeda); Chennai Super Kings official site, 'Chennai Super Kings announce Zaheer Khan as Head Coach for IPL 2027', 21 September 2026.
Chennai Super Kings announced on 27 October 2026 that Albie Morkel and Gareth Batty join as assistant coaches and Mohit Sharma as bowling coach, completing head coach Zaheer Khan's new staff ahead of the retention deadline.
Official IPL/BCCI and franchise announcements first, then reputable reporting such as ESPNcricinfo. This post names its sources at the bottom, and unconfirmed items in it are labelled 'reported'.