IPL 2025: Stephen Fleming Admits ‘No Home Advantage’ At Chepauk After CSK’s Loss To RCB

March 29, 2025: Following a 50-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 on Friday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming admitted that the team has struggled to understand the pitch conditions at Chepauk in recent years. Despite the franchise’s historical strength on the spin-friendly surface of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, CSK’s recent performances at home have been far from ideal.

During the IPL 2025 mega auction, Chennai invested heavily in spinners, believing that Chepauk’s pitch, which traditionally aids slow bowlers, would continue to be an advantage. However, the surface during their second home game of the season failed to offer the expected support, with RCB securing a dominant 50-run victory.

In the post-match press conference, Fleming reflected on CSK’s ongoing struggles with the pitch conditions, admitting that the team has not been able to read the surface effectively in recent years. “Well, as we’ve been telling you for a number of years, there was no home advantage at Chepauk. We’ve won away from home a couple of times. And we haven’t been able to read… we’ve been really honest with you. We haven’t been able to read the wickets here in the last couple of years. So, it’s not new. We are trying to come to grips each day with what we get, and we don’t know,” Fleming stated, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

This season’s performance is a stark contrast to the success CSK enjoyed in previous years when the spinners dominated at Chepauk. In IPL 2024, however, the pitches failed to support spin bowlers, a significant departure from the past. That season, the spinners took only 25 wickets, while the seamers claimed 74 wickets, showing the dramatic shift in conditions.

Fleming elaborated, “It’s not the Chepauk [of old] where you can just go in and play four spinners. We’re having to work really hard to try and understand what the nature of each pitch is, and it’s quite different.”

In their latest clash against RCB, tight bowling performances from pacers Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal played a crucial role in the 50-run victory for the Rajat Patidar-led side. RCB set a challenging total, and despite a valiant effort from CSK, the team fell short.

With this win, RCB moved to the top of the points table, marking their first victory at Chepauk since 2008. Patidar was named the Player of the Match for his brilliant 51-run knock, leading RCB to a memorable triumph.

CSK’s head coach acknowledged that adapting to the changing pitch conditions would require time and effort, and the team remains committed to figuring out how to best tackle home games moving forward.