James Foster set to join CSK as fielding coach

James Foster is set to join the Chennai Super Kings coaching staff for IPL 2026 under head coach Stephen Fleming. The former England wicketkeeper-batter has been appointed as CSK's fielding coach as the franchise looks to rebound from a bottom-place finish last season.

Foster, 45, represented England in seven Tests, 11 ODIs and five T20Is between 2001 and 2009, and is expected to assume his new role later this month.

"We have been looking for a fielding coach. I am hopeful he will join us," said Kasi Viswanathan, CEO of the Super Kings franchise. Foster previously served as the fielding coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and has also worked with franchises such as Desert Vipers, Northern Superchargers, and Peshawar Zalmi.

Apart from head coach Fleming, the CSK support staff currently includes Mike Hussey (batting coach), Eric Simons (bowling coach), Sridharan Sriram (assistant bowling coach), and Rajiv Kumar, who is also a fielding coach. Russell Radhakrishnan serves as the team manager.

CSK have begun a pre-season camp for their Indian players, with most of the domestic contingent—including MS Dhoni—in attendance. The team has been preparing at the franchise's high-performance centre.

Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, currently part of the Indian team, will join the camp later, as will Shreyas Gopal, who just finished a Ranji Trophy assignment.

CSK are five-time champions but had a disastrous campaign last season, finishing at the bottom of the table with just four wins from 14 games. The franchise, determined to make a strong comeback, has pulled off a blockbuster trade with Rajasthan Royals. In an unexpected player swap, they traded Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for Sanju Samson, who is currently in form following his match-winning 97* against West Indies to help India reach the semifinals.