IPL 2026: 3 IPL teams that can pick Ravichandran Ashwin as head coach for upcoming season

Ravichandran Ashwin, a legendary spinner known for his sharp cricketing brain, has the potential to become an outstanding head coach in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket in December last year and also stepped away from IPL on August 27, completing the 2025 season with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). For years, he has been acknowledged for his performances on the field, as well as for having a thorough understanding of the game and solid tactical reasoning, which makes him larger than many modern-day cricketers.

Ashwin has consistently displayed his analytical side through interviews and through his popular YouTube channel, where he provides fans with a unique view of sports — showing his ability to dissect strategies, assess match situations, and innovate. For any IPL franchise looking to hire Ashwin as their head coach, players will surely benefit from the opportunity to learn some of his insights and development opportunities. With this in mind, CricTracker examines three franchises that could target Ashwin, the Madras-born cricketer, as their next head coach.

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3. Kolkata Knight Riders

While Ravichandran Ashwin has never donned the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) colors, he could be a credible candidate to replace former KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit since the latter departed from the franchise post-IPL 2025. KKR, as a franchise, have always appreciated gifted spinners in their squad, and Ashwin's specialty could assist KKR with its existing spinners, while identifying and developing new talent in the long term. His strategic understanding and experience could enable spinners to perform consistently under pressure, an invaluable resource for KKR to leverage for its three-time champion team in the coming seasons.

For Ashwin, adapting to KKR would not pose significant challenges, especially given that he played alongside Varun Chakaravarthy at the Dindigul Dragons in the 2025 Tamil Nadu Premier League. KKR were IPL champions in 2024; however, there were missed opportunities during the mega-auction, which ultimately paid off. Ashwin's knowledge about players could help the franchise tactically address these weaknesses for IPL 2026 and perhaps once again help KKR challenge for the title.

2. Rajasthan Royals

Rahul Dravid was appointed as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2025, but the first-ever champions had a disappointing season and placed ninth overall. At the end of the season, the franchise had offered him a larger role within the team regarding restructuring for the following season. After receiving this, Dravid decided to step away from the role and subsequently relinquished the responsibilities of head coach, leaving the Royals with the task of obtaining a suitable replacement to lead the organization back to competitiveness in future IPL seasons.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who played with the Rajasthan Royals between 2022 and 2024, is certainly a prime candidate for the role. Given his experience and understanding of the team, he could provide valuable advice and support to young emerging players involved in the setup like Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, and Riyan Parag if they remain with the team for IPL 2026 and beyond. Ashwin can provide tactical thinking, leadership qualities, and additional knowledge for the Royals to help rejuvenate and build the team around, making him an ideal outcome for the responsibility of succeeding the T20 World Cup champion coach.

1.Chennai Super Kings

When Ashwin and IPL are mentioned in the same breath, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) come to the mind immediately. Ashwin was a big part of the franchise from 2009-2015 and he was pivotal in getting the franchise to back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. Ahead of IPL 2025, Ashwin returned to the "Men in Yellow" after being picked up for INR 9.75 crore, rekindling his association with the franchise where his IPL career blossomed. His history with the franchise would lend itself even more to a flexibility in a possible future leadership role. 

However, CSK has vanquished the last few seasons. Even though Stephen Fleming has been head coach of CSK since IPL 2, the franchise has not qualified to the playoffs the last two years and their first finishes dead last in the 2025 season. Rumors even suggest an overhaul of sorts may be based on recent seasons. If CSK parts ways with Fleming, Ashwin would be a logical candidate to engage as the head coach in new circumstances due to his solid understanding of not only the team and the management but also the culture of the CSK franchise.