April 6, 2025: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming addressed the recent controversy surrounding Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube video in a post-match press conference.
Ashwin’s video, which went viral, featured discussions that questioned CSK’s selection strategy, but the video was later deleted. When asked about it, Fleming seemed unaware of Ashwin’s YouTube channel and dismissed the issue as irrelevant.
“I have no idea. I don’t even know he had a channel, so I don’t follow that stuff. That’s irrelevant. You guys are important,” Fleming responded to reporters on April 5, emphasizing that the media’s concerns were more important than off-field distractions.
In terms of on-field performance, Ashwin, who has been a part of CSK’s bowling attack in IPL 2025, struggled in their recent clash against Delhi Capitals (DC). He went wicketless, conceding 21 runs from three overs. Ashwin was also not needed to bat, as Vijay Shankar and MS Dhoni finished the innings unbeaten. So far, in four matches, the 38-year-old has taken only three wickets, with his best batting performance being 11 runs from eight balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Following CSK’s loss to DC by 25 runs, which marked their third defeat of the season, Fleming acknowledged the need for improvement, particularly in chasing big targets. CSK has struggled with chasing targets over 180 since IPL 2018. Fleming highlighted the importance of stronger contributions from the top order to reduce pressure on the team during the later stages of an innings.
“We are looking to find the formula that will get us over the line,” Fleming said. “We are certainly well aware of the chasing stat. We are focusing, bowling-wise, to restrict teams below that, but we do need to be better with the bat.”
He also pointed out that the teams doing well in IPL 2025 are those that get consistent runs from their top order. “You look at the teams that are doing well and you see that the majority of runs are getting scored through the top three or top four. A little bit more run-production there allows the power hitters to come at the right spots,” Fleming added.
Currently, CSK sits in ninth place on the points table, with only Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) having a worse net run rate (NRR) than them. Their next match is against Punjab Kings (PBKS), who have won two out of their three games so far in the season.