Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have appointed former England wicketkeeper James Foster as their new fielding coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Foster, who represented England in 23 matches across all formats between 2001 and 2009, will serve under the franchise’s long-standing head coach, Stephen Fleming. This move highlights CSK's tendency to rely on experienced figures, as Foster joins a veteran coaching staff that already includes legends like Michael Hussey and Eric Simons.
James Foster joins CSK as fielding coach
James Foster's credentials as coach
Foster’s transition to coaching has been highly successful since his retirement from professional play in 2018. He arrives at Chennai with a winning pedigree, having recently guided the Desert Vipers to the ILT20 title in January 2026 as their head coach. His extensive resume also includes roles as an assistant coach for the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred and previous coaching stints with both the England and New Zealand national teams. He had also served Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in two roles, i.e as their fielding coach and assistant coach.
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Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK are scheduled to open their 2026 campaign on March 30 against the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. This will be followed by a home game against the Punjab Kings on April 3, with subsequent matches set against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC). These first four fixtures will be a critical test for the revamped squad and the new coaching structure as they look to move past a challenging 2025 season. For the first time CSK found themselves reeling at the bottom of the points table in the last edition.
CSK's full squad for IPL 2026
Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj