Follow UsChennai Super Kings have lost five games on the trot, tottering at the bottom of the points table in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025. The lack of runs in the powerplay has been a concern, as has been the lack of intent to take the bowlers on in the middle and death overs.
The five-time champions played 61 dot balls in the KKR clash at Chepauk, thus failing to match even a 6 RPO - and eventually, lost to a rampant KKR by nine wickets with almost 10 overs to spare. Despite power-hitting being one of the major concerns, CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming downplayed it, saying hitting a long ball is not the answer to everything; rather, there is space for craft in the shortest version of the game.
"We do [struggle with six hitting], but it's not everything," Fleming said on the eve of CSK's game against LSG, who have Nicholas Pooran in their corner with 31 sixes to his name. "I know there's a fascination with power and six hitting, but there's also a couple of teams doing well with good [batting] craft.
"And I'd be very sad if the day came to us just being like a baseball competition and talking about sixes and fours. The beauty of the game is there's still balance between bat and ball, and in some cases there's not. So I'm loath to get into it too much. I love the skill and the ability to do that."
"It's phenomenal from an athlete's point of view, but from the good of the game, balance is still really important. Our last game in Chennai was tricky. They [KKR] hit two or three when they were batting second innings, but for our boys, whether it's a lack of confidence or intent, it's not that easy.
"So it's not just that you can turn up and just hit sixes. Some players are playing absolutely fearlessly, and whether that's inconsistent or consistent, the tournament will tell, but conditions play a big part. But there's still room for craft, and you're still seeing top-class players playing pivotal innings when it's not flat like a road. And I just hope the balance can remain because while it's great to watch and the skill set we admire, the game is still about a balance between that," he added.
With five losses in six games, Chennai’s season is as good as over. There is a steep climb ahead if you consider the kind of games they have in the wings, but losing three games at home hasn’t helped their cause. Fleming, considered one of the most pragmatic coaches out there, stated that the MS Dhoni-led team need to take small steps to resurrect their campaign.
"It's a big challenge, there's no doubt about it," Fleming admitted. "So we've got to look at it in small steps and just continue to work to get better at all three facets really, and then you start competing. I think the disappointing aspect, particularly the last game, was the lack of competition we put up, which hurt a lot.
"So there's certainly been a lot of internal soul searching, but also a lot of work around what we need to do. And it's important that we put a performance out that is representative of the proud franchise that we are. So yeah, there's a lot of hurt that we can turn to motivation, but it's not about words; it's about players grabbing the moment, finding form, finding their groove, and almost shaking off any apprehension that can creep in when you're just searching for a performance," Fleming added.
With MS Dhoni back at the helm after Ruturaj Gaikwad suffered an elbow injury, there was a renewed sense of optimism among CSK fans. However, the side lost to KKR in a very dismal fashion. Fleming stated that although Dhoni will have a very big role to play, he can’t do it on his own.
"Dhoni's influence will always be prominent, but he's not a soothsayer, he hasn't got a magic wand, he can't just rub it over the side, otherwise he would have brought it out earlier. It's a case of us working very hard along with MS to turn it around.
"And certainly in both of our careers we've been in situations that require a lot of energy, and we've got to make sure that the energy is put in the right place. Often you can get consumed with things that actually don't matter. So drawing it all down and just making sure we're concentrating on the right things has probably been the key for the last couple of days," Fleming said.