Latest news with #StephenFleming
The National
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings sow seeds for future success amid ruins of campaign
Chennai Super Kings have had one of their worst seasons in IPL, but history might be a lot kinder on them once the decisions they implemented this year begin to bear fruit. A team is always assessed by wins and losses. There is no consolation prize in competitive sport. But you don't win every time. Just like you don't lose every time. What matters in top level sport is what you do when the eyes are not on you, or when you are down. The Super Kings plunged to new depths at the start of the tournament as they got walloped home and away with surprising ease. The five-time IPL champions fell into a death spiral of slow starts in the powerplay followed by desperate batting by an unsettled and misfiring batting line-up. Still, Chennai remained defiant. Coach Stephen Fleming bravely said something to the effect of 'we will see who wins it in the end'. By the end, MS Dhoni returned as captain and many of the players the Super Kings had bought during the auction failed miserably, quietly pushed to the bench. Chennai are a champion franchise and the winning mentality doesn't just vanish overnight. But when even hardcore Chennai fans began admonishing the team's stubborn resistance to modern batting and promising local talent, the team management knew they had a problem on their hands. The great Dhoni also saw his spot in the team being questioned openly and regularly. Their 2025 campaign was pretty much over midway through the season. The only thing that Chennai could now do is plan for the future. That was difficult because Chennai had played almost their entire squad early in the season, proving once again how poor their auction strategy and talent scouts had been. Then, in true Chennai style, the struck upon an ingenious plan. They got in reinforcements, with one eye on the next season, through injury replacements. Dashing young batter Ayush Mhatre, local T20 powerhouse Urvil Patel and South Africa's promising young batter Dewald Brevis came in as injury replacements just as their season was going down the drain. And all three provided an immediate spark to the team, proving beyond doubt that those who made decisions before and during the player auction were way off the mark. In their final league match of the season against tournament favourites Gujarat Titans on Sunday, all three injury replacements set the tone for the 2026 season in one of the more complete batting performances this term. Opener Mhatre (34 from 17 balls), Patel (37 off 19) and Brevis (57 from 23) took Gujarat's bowling apart, helping Chennai post 230-5 – a total that seemed unimaginable in the earlier part of the tournament for Chennai. All three batted at a strike rate of around or above 200, while showing acceptable technique. Which makes you wonder what made the team pick left-of-field batters like Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda at the start of the season. Those three were not high on the wish list of any other franchise, while the new injury replacements were on the radar of many. By the end of the campaign, Brevis (225 runs in six innings) and Mhatre (240 runs in seven games) were easily their most impactful batters. More than the wisdom of selecting the replacements, what mattered more was the tacit admission from Chennai, who are known to pick and back veteran cricketers almost exclusively, that it was time to embrace younger and untested players who might lack experience but offer greater impact, especially with the bat. What also changed this season was the famed Chennai template of picking their team for slow turners at home and dominating the games, while cutting their losses away. This time, wickets at all venues turned out to be equally challenging, making an all-round game and quality personnel more critical than venue specific selections. Chennai's bowling is still respectable, with wrist spinner Noor Ahmed, seamer Anshul Kamboj, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pacer Matheesha Pathirana holding their own. With the addition of potent top and middle order batters, we might see the return of the Chennai we know next year. With or without Dhoni in charge.
The National
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Chennai Super Kings sow seeds for future success amid ruins of IPL 2025 campaign
Chennai Super Kings have had one of their worst seasons in IPL, but history might be a lot kinder on them once the decisions they implemented this year begin to bear fruit. A team is always assessed by wins and losses. There is no consolation prize in competitive sport. But you don't win every time. Just like you don't lose every time. What matters in top level sport is what you do when the eyes are not on you, or when you are down. The Super Kings plunged to new depths at the start of the tournament as they got walloped home and away with surprising ease. The five-time IPL champions fell into a death spiral of slow starts in the powerplay followed by desperate batting by an unsettled and misfiring batting line-up. Still, Chennai remained defiant. Coach Stephen Fleming bravely said something to the effect of 'we will see who wins it in the end'. By the end, MS Dhoni returned as captain and many of the players the Super Kings had bought during the auction failed miserably, quietly pushed to the bench. Chennai are a champion franchise and the winning mentality doesn't just vanish overnight. But when even hardcore Chennai fans began admonishing the team's stubborn resistance to modern batting and promising local talent, the team management knew they had a problem on their hands. The great Dhoni also saw his spot in the team being questioned openly and regularly. Their 2025 campaign was pretty much over midway through the season. The only thing that Chennai could now do is plan for the future. That was difficult because Chennai had played almost their entire squad early in the season, proving once again how poor their auction strategy and talent scouts had been. Then, in true Chennai style, the struck upon an ingenious plan. They got in reinforcements, with one eye on the next season, through injury replacements. Dashing young batter Ayush Mhatre, local T20 powerhouse Urvil Patel and South Africa's promising young batter Dewald Brevis came in as injury replacements just as their season was going down the drain. And all three provided an immediate spark to the team, proving beyond doubt that those who made decisions before and during the player auction were way off the mark. In their final league match of the season against tournament favourites Gujarat Titans on Sunday, all three injury replacements set the tone for the 2026 season in one of the more complete batting performances this term. Opener Mhatre (34 from 17 balls), Patel (37 off 19) and Brevis (57 from 23) took Gujarat's bowling apart, helping Chennai post 230-5 – a total that seemed unimaginable in the earlier part of the tournament for Chennai. All three batted at a strike rate of around or above 200, while showing acceptable technique. Which makes you wonder what made the team pick left-of-field batters like Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda at the start of the season. Those three were not high on the wish list of any other franchise, while the new injury replacements were on the radar of many. By the end of the campaign, Brevis (225 runs in six innings) and Mhatre (240 runs in seven games) were easily their most impactful batters. More than the wisdom of selecting the replacements, what mattered more was the tacit admission from Chennai, who are known to pick and back veteran cricketers almost exclusively, that it was time to embrace younger and untested players who might lack experience but offer greater impact, especially with the bat. What also changed this season was the famed Chennai template of picking their team for slow turners at home and dominating the games, while cutting their losses away. This time, wickets at all venues turned out to be equally challenging, making an all-round game and quality personnel more critical than venue specific selections. Chennai's bowling is still respectable, with wrist spinner Noor Ahmed, seamer Anshul Kamboj, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pacer Matheesha Pathirana holding their own. With the addition of potent top and middle order batters, we might see the return of the Chennai we know next year. With or without Dhoni in charge.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Dhoni to take time on retirement decision
Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni says he has "four-five months" to decide if he continues playing professional former India captain, who turns 44 in July, led Chennai to a 83-run win over Gujarat Titans on Sunday, but his side finished bottom of the Indian Premier League table."There's no hurry to decide what needs to be done," Dhoni said after the match."Every year, it's 15% more effort to keep the body fit - not to forget this is top-level cricket. "It's professional cricket - you have to be at your best - and it's not always performance that you can count, because if cricketers start retiring because of performance then a few of them will retire when they're 22."Dhoni has scored 196 runs in 13 innings this season, with a high score of 30, taking over the captaincy after an injury to Ruturaj head coach Stephen Fleming has said that Dhoni, once known as one of the game's great finishers, now "can't bat for 10 overs" because of problems with his knees."What is important to see if how much hunger you have, what kind of fitness you have, and how much you can contribute to the team, and whether the team needs you or not," Dhoni added."I will go back to Ranchi - haven't been home for a long time - enjoy a few bike rides."I'm not saying I'm done, I'm not saying I'm coming back. As I said, I have the luxury of time. When you have the luxury then why not think about it and then decide?"
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
"Fitting That We Are Bottom": CSK Coach Stephen Fleming Spares No One At Press Conference
In a candid admission of their pathetic run this IPL season, Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said they deserve to finish at the bottom of the table but promised to come back with "strong ideas". One of the most consistent sides in the popular league, five-time champions CSK are set to finish last behind Rajasthan Royals to whom they lost by six wickets on Tuesday in their penultimate IPL clash this season. It is not a sight cricket fans are used to considering CSK's tremendous success in the past. "No, we don't obviously like being down here, but it's not a motivation. We wanted just a good performance. We're trying to string some performances together. The aim was two good performances (in last two matches). "Now it'll be one good one to finish. It's probably fitting that we're at the bottom. We've played that type of cricket, so you can't hide away from it," Fleming said after the match. The New Zealander said they know the road ahead and failure of top-order batters has played huge role in the ordinary run. "Our order is not right at this stage, and that is something that we are always looking to reshuffle. We've got some strong ideas for next year, so all those facets are covered. But that hasn't been possible this year because of the lack of runs at the top. "A lot of the batting positions are determined by how well a start we have, and then guys can fall into line. We haven't had that. So we've been just patching innings up, really, rather than constructing good innings," he explained the reason behind the wretched run. Pacer Anshul Kamboj has managed to impress this season with his pace and Fleming feels he will be a good asset for India after his selection in A side for the England tour. "His speeds have been around 138, 139 (kph). He is deceptive and the ball always seems to hit the gloves harder. His big strength is his length and he just gets the ball to wobble. You saw that today on a reasonably flat wicket and he'll do well on that tour (of England) if he gets conditions that seam a bit and a little bit of swing. "He'll be an absolute handful. He has got some real potential with both white and red ball. We're happy with his development and the opportunity he has taken this year." The former Kiwi captain also spoke highly of pacer Matheesha Pathirana but said the Lankan needs to improve further. "We have high expectations of him, which is why we retained him. But he is coming back into some form. He was really out of form. He's made improvements, but it's still not to where we or he would like. So there's some room for him to get some form and get some confidence. But he's just at that crossroads where batsmen are playing him better." In his last 10 IPL matches he managed 10 wickets, and went wicketless in five contest. "They've seen more of him. So now he just has to drill down on what he needs to do to be as effective as what he's been for the first part of his career. It's a unique skill set, but it's been a little bit off," he said.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming: 'It's fitting we're at bottom of IPL points table'
Stephen Fleming (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has admitted that their team deserved to be at the bottom of the points table because of the kind of cricket they have played in this year's IPL . With just one game left, CSK are currently languishing at the bottom of the points table with just three wins. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "No, we obviously don't like being down there [in the points table]. We wanted just a good performance. We're trying to string some performances together. The aim was two good performances. Now it'll be one good one to finish. It's probably fitting that we're at the bottom," he told reporters after Rajasthan Royals defeated CSK by six wickets on Tuesday evening. "We've played that type of cricket, so you can't hide away from it. But what we do want to do is just put in a much better performance that reflects the ability of the team." Rajasthan Royals' bowlers executed their plans to perfection in the final overs. They consistently nailed their yorkers, effectively drying up the boundaries and stifling CSK's scoring rate. Shivam Dube (39) and MS Dhoni (16) both departed in the final over, as CSK managed a mere 17 runs in the last three overs, ultimately finishing on 187/8. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo At one stage, CSK were looking to cross 200, but Dube and Dhoni failed to provide the final flourish. Fleming accepted that it is a worrying sign for CSK that they need to fix in the next season. 'Chances are still there': Abishek Porel believes in IPL 2025 playoff miracle "Our lower order is not right at this stage, and that is something that we are always looking to rejig. We've got some strong ideas for next year, so that all facets are covered. But that hasn't been possible this year because of the lack of runs at the top. "A lot of the batting positions are determined by how well a start we have, and then guys can fall into line. So we haven't had that. So we've been just patching innings up, really, rather than constructing good innings," he said. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
