CSK bring N Srinivasan back into administration as the team's new chairman
The five-time IPL champions, tied as the joint-most successful team in the world’s biggest T20 league, have turned back the clock. The Chennai Super Kings have announced the return of N Srinivasan to the team’s administration ahead of IPL 2026. At 80, the former BCCI president, arrives as the CSK chairman. Renowned for his administrative acumen and long-standing influence in Indian cricket, Srinivasan’s return arrives at a pivotal juncture as the franchise seeks to recover from a disappointing IPL 2025 campaign.
N Srinivasan appointed as CSK Chairman
The former ICC chief has been absent from the cricket scene ever since the Chennai Super Kings were embroiled in the fixing scandal. The investigation led to the team being banned for two seasons, IPL 2016 and 2017. Srinivasan held stakes in the franchise through India Cements, the company he owned as former BCCI head. Now, returning to his old playground, N Srinivasan is gearing up to begin the next phase of his administrative stint in the sport.
The ex-ICC lead will adopt a primarily advisory position in CSK, staying engaged with day-to-day affairs while minimizing extensive travel with the team. The move was confirmed by CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan, who emphasized the strategic value and confidence Srinivasan’s presence brings to the management group.
"See, it's a great boon for CSK and he's been the best administrator for us and I'm very happy that he's come back into CSK. He'll be in an advisory role only because he doesn't travel much, but we'll be in contact with him," Viswanathan said. "Both of us are in Chennai only. So he's in day-to-day contact with us," he added.
Srinivasan will not merely be a figurehead, his responsibilities extend to supervising CSK’s international projects, including ventures in SA20 and Major League Cricket. As chairman of CSKCL, he will work alongside Gurunath, the full-time director, and Viswanathan, who continues as managing director and CEO, in addition to an experienced board lineup featuring Sanjay Patel, R. Srinivasan, Rakesh Singh, P.L. Subramanian, V. Manickam, and E. Jayashree.
The leadership reshuffle follows CSK’s most difficult season to date in the IPL. For the first time in 18 seasons, the team finished at the bottom of the table, recording just four wins in 14 games in IPL 2025. Injuries to skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad forced MS Dhoni to step into the captain's spot again. However, even his presence couldn’t alter the course of a campaign plagued by setbacks. Now, with Srinivasan back at the forefront, CSK is aiming for a revival. The franchise aims to tap into his strategic foresight to script a return to the dominance that once defined their brand of cricket.
