IPL 2025: CSK Coach Stephen Fleming Slams Team’s Fielding After Fourth Successive Defeat

April 9, 2025: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming did not hold back while assessing his team’s performance following their fourth consecutive defeat in IPL 2025, a loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Tuesday night. While he expressed hope after an improved batting effort, Fleming was scathing in his criticism of the team’s fielding, which he believed played a significant role in their defeat.

CSK’s fielding effort was far from the standard expected of a five-time IPL champion. Multiple dropped catches and missed opportunities allowed PBKS’ Priyansh Arya to take full advantage, as he smashed a 39-ball century. The turning point came early when Khaleel Ahmed was dismissed for a mere six, after being caught off the bowler’s own delivery. Later, Mukesh Choudhary dropped a simple chance at long-off off Ravichandran Ashwin when Arya was on 73, further compounding the Super Kings’ woes.

The mistakes didn’t stop there, as Shashank Singh was also granted a second life after a dropped sitter by Ravindra Jadeja off Noor Ahmad in the 17th over. The missed opportunities proved costly, as the Punjab Kings managed to put together a commanding total that CSK struggled to chase down.

Fleming was blunt in his post-match assessment, stating, “The game was really lost in the field. I thought we were sloppy in the field and 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.”

He continued, “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.”

On the batting front, there were some positives to take away. For the first time in the tournament, CSK’s opening pair of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra managed to survive the powerplay without losing a wicket, accumulating 61 runs in 6.3 overs. However, the momentum faltered in the middle overs as they lost both Ravindra (36) and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (1) cheaply.

Despite the setbacks, MS Dhoni’s explosive 27 off 12 balls, including three towering sixes, kept CSK in the chase, but they ultimately fell short by 18 runs. Dhoni was dismissed off the first ball of the final over, caught by Yuzvendra Chahal.

Fleming acknowledged the team’s fight with the bat, saying, “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.”

With CSK facing mounting challenges in IPL 2025, Fleming will hope his team can overcome their fielding woes and continue to build on the improvements shown with the bat.