Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming criticised his team’s poor fielding and top-order performance after their 18-run loss to Punjab Kings.
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming opened up on the team’s ongoing struggles in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after they slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat. Speaking after CSK’s 18-run loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS), Fleming pointed to poor fielding and underperforming top-order batters as the key reasons behind the team’s disappointing run.
Fleming admitted that CSK failed to grab crucial moments in the match, especially in the field, where missed chances and a lack of precision allowed Punjab to take control. The turning point came in the form of an explosive century from Priyansh Arya, who smashed 103 off just 42 deliveries — the fastest century by an uncapped player in IPL history. Arya’s knock powered PBKS to a daunting total of 218, which eventually proved too steep for the five-time IPL champions.
“The game was really lost in the field, I thought we were sloppy in the field, and we just lacked accuracy under pressure at certain times. We were put under pressure by a fine innings [from Arya] but we’ve got to be better than that in terms of shutting it down. So that’s where the game got away from us,” Fleming said.
Chennai began their chase on a steady note, scoring 59 in the powerplay thanks to Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. However, the innings soon faltered as Ravindra departed for 39 and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed cheaply. Impact substitute Shivam Dube tried to revive the innings with aggressive batting, but an unexpected tactical call saw Conway retire out, making way for MS Dhoni at No. 5 — his first appearance at that position this season.
ALSO READ | Harry Brook Named England’s New White-Ball Captain After Jos Buttler Steps Down
Despite Dhoni’s brief fireworks and support from Ravindra Jadeja, CSK couldn’t keep up with the required run rate and finished at 201/5, falling short by 18 runs. Fleming also highlighted the top order’s failure to deliver consistently, which has become a concern for the team throughout this season.
“If you’re going to win the IPL you need your top three-four to get a majority of the runs. We haven’t been doing that, so it was pleasing that we got off to a more solid start. We weren’t able to just maintain a high momentum through the middle. Partly through good bowling and maybe we were trying to push it too hard. It was something we’ll review, but it’s not a bad chase. It’s three hits away but we just lost a little bit of momentum through the middle,” he added.
Currently slipping down the IPL 2025 points table, CSK now find themselves in a difficult position. With both form and strategy under scrutiny, Fleming’s squad will need to bounce back quickly to keep their playoff hopes alive.
ALSO READ | Glenn Maxwell Fined 25% Of Match Fee For Breaching Code Of Conduct During CSK Clash
