Zaheer Khan’s Coaching Résumé vs. Stephen Fleming’s CSK Record: How They Compare

Zaheer Khan is stepping into a job with a very different backdrop than the one he’s coming from. Here’s how his prior coaching stints stack up against what Stephen Fleming built at Chennai Super Kings.

Fleming’s record at CSK

Fleming’s CSK story spans 18 seasons — as a player from the IPL’s 2008 debut season, then as head coach starting in 2009 through 2026. In that time, CSK won 5 IPL titles and 2 Champions League T20 titles, making his exit the end of one of the most decorated coaching tenures in the league.

Zaheer’s prior IPL coaching roles

Zaheer’s IPL coaching background looks different in shape, not just scale:

CSK marks the third IPL team he’s worked with, but his previous two roles were framed differently from a traditional head coach position — a cricket-operations and development role at Mumbai Indians, and a bowling-focused mentor role at Lucknow. This is his first time holding the head coach title itself.

What he brings as a player

Zaheer’s playing résumé is well established: 102 IPL wickets across 100 matches, plus an international career of 92 Tests, 200 ODIs, and 17 T20Is for India, including 21 wickets at the 2011 World Cup.

The contrast in short

Fleming’s CSK tenure was long, continuous, and title-laden. Zaheer arrives with broader front-office and specialist coaching experience across multiple franchises, but this CSK job is his first as a head coach — so his head-coaching track record, in that specific title, starts now.

Sources / Learn more

• The Times of India
• Rediff