CSK so far has had a forgettable tournament with 6 defeats from 8 matches. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming is the most successful coach in the history of IPL with 5 titles under his coaching. Stephen Fleming, though in a press conference every now and then has assured that CSK will bounce back, but their ‘A’ game has been quite missing.
CSK has faced a lot of uproar for their selection, and the reintroduction of MS Dhoni (*Ruturaj Gaikwad injured) as skipper hasn’t been that fruitful. CSK are in a must-win match against SRH on 25th April at Chepauk, SRH’s story is also quite same as compared to CSK with 8 defeats from 6 matches. It’s the clash of two teams that haven’t been able to announce their arrival in IPL 2025 so far.
RCB showed winning 6 matches out of 6 last year- Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming was having an interaction with the media ahead of the SRH match. Stephen Fleming pointed out that CSK can win next 6 matches and gave the example of how RCB made a miraculous comeback in the IPL 2024 edition. Stephen Fleming stated that no game would be wasted even if CSK doesn’t qualify for the playoffs.
“We’re still hopeful of winning 6 out of 6, and some will giggle at that, but RCB set a blueprint for that the year before. So while there’s still a chance, we have one eye on making sure that we think the best players for this game coming up will play, but we’re also aware that if it doesn’t work out, we’ve got to make the most of what has been a poor season,” said Stephen Fleming.
“And the work we did a couple of times – we were in this position in the past – set us up to win the title the following year. So we’re certainly aware of what needs to be done and how we can go about it,” he stated.
“And when that time comes, we will make sure there is no stone left unturned to get things right. There won’t be a wasted game or an opportunity in the next few weeks, and the players know that as well. And that creates opportunity and creates a bit of competition within. We won’t let any time go to waste,” he added.
Concerns for CSK
The batting youth sensation Rachin Ravindra hasn’t had a tournament so remember so far with 191 runs in 8 innings and a solitary half century. The batting unit has fallen like a pack of cards, we can say, the decision to promote Ravindra Jadeja up the order hasn’t yielded results. Many would argue that Ravindra Jadeja smashed a knock of 53 runs in 35 balls against MI, but he struggled a lot before going berserk.
Ravichandran Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja, the spin twins, aren’t that threatening. The duo combined have taken 10 wickets and 5 apiece. The youngsters, Shaik Rasheed & Ayush Mhatre, have shown promise during the last 2 matches, but giving the responsibility of CSK’s top order to the duo would be very harsh.
In all this chaos, the skipper MS Dhoni is receiving brutal criticism, given his own form hasn’t been encouraging despite hitting sixes around the park. MS Dhoni who is often considered one of the best captains in World cricket, will have to pull a rabbit out of the hat and bring best out of every player to get through CSK to play-offs where there’s a thin chance that CSK might but they need to start winning quickly because it’s already a bit too late.
Also Read:Â CSK vs SRH: Can CSK Crush SRH At Chepauk To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive?