Fleming-Dhoni combo set for a repeat in Pune?

12/17/2015

Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) combo of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain and Stephen Fleming as coach is set for a repeat at the Pune IPL franchise owned by Sanjiv Goenka’s New Rising group, according to media reports. A formal announcement is expected to come in a couple of days.

After Pune bagged MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Steve Smith and Faf du Plessis in the IPL draft on Tuesday, speculations were in the air about a possible reunion of the coveted CSK combo. Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises and brother of Sanjiv Goenka, tweeted shortly after the draft about the possible reunion.

#IPLDraft Pune with Dhoni as Captain and Fleming as Coach has built a formidable core team. Winning choices made.
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) December 15, 2015

The coach, who guided CSK to two IPL titles and three runners-up positions, remained tight-lipped about the possible move.

"I am not in a position to make any comment at this point in time," Fleming told ToI on Wednesday.

Sanjiv Goenka, who co-owns Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Atletico de Kolkata with Sourav Ganguly, confirmed on Wednesday that they are in the final stages of negotiation with the coach and the official announcement will made in the next couple of days.

"We have approached a lot of people and have short-listed a few. But I don't think it would be right to reveal any names at this stage. We are in the final process of negotiations and you have to wait for a couple of more days for the name," Sanjiv Goenka said on Wednesday, reported ToI.

The Pune franchise owner also ruled out the possibility of involving Sourav Ganguly with the franchise.

"We are not thinking of getting Sourav on board. It is not even a remote possibility in the future," he added.