New Delhi: With Chennai Super Kings (CSK) nearing the end of one of their most forgettable IPL seasons since the tournament’s inception, head coach Stephen Fleming stated that his team is very aware of the opportunity of finishing their campaign on a strong note and aim to salvage some pride.
With tenth-placed CSK eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, the only real interest for their match against ninth-ranked Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday at a neutral venue – the Arun Jaitley Stadium – is who will become the wooden spooners of IPL 2025, something which both teams would be keen to avoid.
“One thing is the players that represent Chennai in the next two games will be very proud. The opportunity to finish the season well is really important to us. We had a good win in the last game, and we reflect back on past seasons where it hasn’t gone that well for us.”
“We finished those seasons well, which has helped our performances in the next season. So there’s always opportunity, and the intensity in the side, the way we play these two games, we’ll have intensity as though we’re trying to win the competition. Because it’s important to us every time we represent CSK, it’s important that we play as well as we can.”
“We know we haven’t been up to par, so we’ve got two opportunities to finish well. So that doesn’t change. We are looking at the opportunities for other players. We’ve done that in the last two or three games. We’ll continue to do that because that is an opportunity out of our performances that we will be bullish on to take. So we’ve learned a lot and added to this group, and we will continue to learn over the next two games,” said Fleming in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
Once it was clear that CSK won’t enter the playoffs, the process of infusing youngsters in the team began to take shape. Players like young Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis have come as big positives in an absolutely lacklustre season for CSK across all departments.
“They certainly have had an impact which is a positive from a season that’s been a challenge. But we realised that sort of early on that we were off the pace. So to be able to introduce these players, they’re definitely in line for the future as we sort of regenerate the team and redevelop or reconfirm our philosophy of how we want to play. So, they’ve done well.”
“It’s been good performances. The last performance was a while back but it was really promising. So my point has always been a mixture of youth and experience. I’m a fan of experience. I think experience wins tournaments. But the youth and talent in this country is something you can’t ignore. I’ve had a look at a lot of players throughout the season, trialling and looking at players. So I have a good understanding of what it’s about,” he added.
Asked if the infusion of youth in the team is a conscious shift from CSK’s side to move away from the Dad Army’s narrative, Fleming explained, “I don’t care how old the players are. I do like the experience, though. The experience has served us really well over the years that we’ve had. It hasn’t worked out quite well for us this year, and that could be a bit of form or strategy.”
“It could be a number of things that just don’t quite work out. The competition is very even. So the fact that we’ve been so consistent over a number of years to have a poor year is sort of shaken everybody. But it’s understandable given the excellence in which the franchise is operating.”
“The challenge for us is making sure out of this that we do go over everything that we are doing and have done in the past to make sure we are keeping up with the philosophies, but also identifying talent. It’s one thing to say we want a team full of young players when they’ve got to find one.”
“So it’s identifying talent and making sure they fit in to the experience, which I’ll say I do like. You have a look at the top-run scorers and wicket-takers and you see there’s a fair bit of experience there.”
“But what it’s sprinkled with is some amazing performances by young players who are playing fearless cricket. So it’s getting that balance right. But most importantly, it’s getting the player and the person right, and that’s what we’ve been looking for.”
Fleming signed off by delving more into the exciting challenge of building a new team after a three-year cycle concludes. “Keeping that in mind, one of the challenges around the IPL is every three years you’ve got to recreate your side. It’s a beauty and a beast as well because you have a good system and a good group of players, then it gets disbanded.”
“So one of the challenges is always bringing together a new group. It’s quite up to them to work for us for the first half of the season. We’ve worked very hard at making sure that we’ve got or introduced some players. We’ll have some understanding of players that can make a difference. So it’s been a worthwhile exercise from a disappointing season.”
(IANS)
