CHENNAI: The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, Chennai Super Kings, have announced former Indian left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan as its new head coach here on Monday, ahead of the new season.

The 47-year-old replaces veteran Stephen Fleming at the helm, after the latter ended a 16-year-old association with the franchise, finishing with five IPL titles. In the past, the left-arm pacer has been associated with two IPL franchises before, Mumbai Indians (Director of Operations, Global Head of Development) and Lucknow Super Giants (Mentor).

However, he comes to the CSK setup without any experience as a head coach.

"It's an honour to be a part of one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL," Zaheer said in a CSK press release on Monday.

"As a cricketer, I have faced CSK on the field and have thoroughly enjoyed the contests. The atmosphere created by the Superfans at Chepauk makes it even more special. I can't wait to join the legacy franchise with such a rich history."

As a player, the left-arm pacer has tons of experience, having featured in 100 IPL games, picking up 102 wickets after ending his Indian career with over 600 wickets across formats. Earlier, rumours hinted at one of Eoin Morgan, Michael Hussey or Hemang Badani taking over the reins but it was swiftly put to bed by the franchise, with the official announcement.

CSK’s Managing Director, Kasi Viswanathan opened up on the move, stating, “Zaheer is a world class bowler and has been a mentor to many young cricketers, especially fast bowlers, over the years. As a player, Zaheer was one of the key reasons for India's success in the 2000s. He's one of the finest cricketing brains and we look forward to having him in our family."