Follow UsThe Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are having a horror run in the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have already lost seven out of the nine games that they have played.
Their most recent loss came yesterday against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who swatted away the MS Dhoni-led side by five wickets. Not only are Dhoni’s men last on the points table, but their net run rate is also the worst amongst all the teams.
Head coach Stephen Fleming felt that while the auction wasn’t great for CSK, other issues around the squad exacerbated the lacunae present in the team. He felt that it’s high time the team did some introspection, and that process should begin with him at the top.
“It is also not perfect science," Fleming said after the loss against SRH.
"The auction is a very fluid beast. It's like buying [for] 25 hours and seeing it come away at the end of it, mentally and sometimes physically exhausted. And to be fair, I still think we have got a good squad. We are not far away.
"A couple of key injuries, just a bit of a lack of form. And we have just really struggled to nail a gameplan. We've chopped and changed too much. I think it was trying to look for something that perhaps we felt wasn't there. So yeah, there is a lot of responsibility and soul-searching and it certainly starts with me at the top, 100%.”
While CSK’s chances of reaching the top four from here seem remote, coach Fleming is keen on observing what other teams and players are doing in their league so that he can apply the lessons from them and their remaining games for the next season.
"I'm a believer that the game hasn't evolved that much," Fleming remarked.
"So just trying to be smart and trying to be positive and give evidence that percentages still work. But all around there is a bit of chaos, isn't there, with teams playing well [by targeting boundaries and playing high-risk shots]. And I think I said it in a grumpy interview a few weeks ago that we'll see towards the end of the tournament which team will come through.
“And it's an intriguing watch to see settled sides and teams with younger sort of flair battling it out and watching the cream rise. And I will watch with interest to see towards the end what the highest run-scorers are and what teams are doing well, because that's part of the reflection as you move forward.”
Fleming said that CSK have started applying some of these lessons in the tournament already, and the positive from Dewald Brevis and Ayush Mhatre’s start in the season is a good sign for the franchise going forward.
“I thought Brevis was excellent today [making 42 off 25 against SRH],” Fleming said.
“Mhatre has been refreshing. We've given guys opportunities and that's something that often doesn't come along in an IPL. You don't want it to come along. It's an unwanted bonus. So we'll work very hard on every game to try and find some more answers for next year."