Stephen Fleming, the head coach of the Chennai Super Kings, has blamed the team’s poor performance in the current IPL 2025 on fielding errors after they have lost four in a row, most recently to Punjab Kings. The five-time champions have made progress in the batting department, but Fleming feels that their inability to convert opportunities on the pitch has been the difference between winning and losing.
In their latest clash, CSK were handed an 18-run loss while chasing 220. The team got off to a strong start, with openers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway putting on 61 inside the powerplay. However, their run-flow dipped in the middle overs, and even a late cameo from Shivam Dube and MS Dhoni couldn’t take them over the line.
“The positives are we batted a bit better. We’ve had some substance from the top order, which was a bit lacking, so we were able to then construct the chase. We just weren’t able to keep the run rate at a good level through the middle and it was just too much towards the end. But we’ve been in the game for a lot longer, which is a positive aspect,” Fleming said at the post-match press conference.
Certainly for us that was an area of concern: Stephen Fleming
Fielding has been a surprising weakness for CSK this season. With a catch efficiency of just 68.5%, the second-worst in the league, they have dropped 11 catches in five games. While the average across the league in the 2022–24 cycle was at 80.3%. Notably, in each of CSK’s four losses, the eventual Player of the Match had been dropped during their innings, including Priyansh Arya, who was given a lifeline twice before smashing a 39-ball century in the latest match.
“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. We’re 18 runs short in a big run chase, so we can look at three sixes here and there.
It’s been a frustrating season so far. The catching has been poor, but it was poor from both sides tonight. Whether it was something in the light I’m not sure but certainly for us that was an area of concern. We weren’t too far away,” the coach added.
The ageing roster of CSK has also been linked to the team’s fielding problems. Since the 2018 Indian Premier League, the team has frequently fielded lineups with average ages above thirty. Although their selection was primarily based on experience, doubts have been raised regarding age and reflexes.
“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,” Fleming concluded.
India
