Chennai, June 24 (IANS) Former India U19 and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fast bowler Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh has been appointed as the new head coach of the Tamil Nadu senior men’s cricket team for the upcoming 2026/27 domestic season.

The decision was finalised by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) after screening applications for various coaching and selection positions.

According to a statement from the TNCA, Yo Mahesh will spearhead the coaching staff for both the multi-day and white-ball senior men’s teams, moving up after a successful stint with the state’s Under-19 squad. He replaces M. Senthilnathan (red-ball coach) and M. Venkataramana (white-ball coach) for the upcoming domestic season.

Mahesh, a domestic cricket veteran of 50 first-class games, 61 List A, and 46 T20 matches who also represented Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in the IPL, will be supported by R Srinivasan as the assistant coach for red-ball cricket.

J. Hariesh, who works as an assistant batting coach for IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, will serve as the assistant coach for the white-ball formats. In other notable appointments for the men’s division, V R S Guru Kedarnath has been handed the reins of the Under-23 team, while V Maaruthi Raghav takes over the Under-19 boys’ setup. S Dinesh and T R Madhavan will helm the Under-16 and Under-14 coaching departments, respectively.

On the women’s circuit, Aarthi Sankaran, a BCCI-NCA Level 3 coach who was in charge of the U15 and U19 teams previously, has been appointed as the head coach of the senior women’s team. Former India fast bowler Niranjana Nagarajan will be joining Aarthi, a former Tamil Nadu cricketer, as the assistant coach.

The state’s Under-23 women’s team will be guided by V Bobby Gulecha, while S Ashok Anand and Nilofer Firdhouse will take charge of the U19 and U15 set-ups, respectively. TNCA Secretary U Bhagwandas Rao also confirmed that K Hemamalini has been appointed as the chairperson of the women’s senior selection committee, while N Manjhulaa will head the junior women’s selection committee to oversee grassroots talent identification across the state.

–IANS

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