Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming candidly admitted that the team’s struggles in the ongoing IPL 2025 season stem largely from not getting their strategy right at last year’s mega auction. His comments came after CSK slumped to their seventh defeat of the season, losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 25.
Addressing the media at the post-match press conference, Fleming reflected on CSK’s slide this year.
“Things have unraveled quickly this season,” he said. “We’ve been closely examining our style of play and trying to adapt to how the game is evolving. It’s not easy — that’s why we’ve always taken pride in our consistency over the years. But it doesn’t take much to shift the balance. Other teams have improved, and that’s what the auction is about. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get it right.”
Players’ form, injury concerns in CSK
CSK’s auction picks — including Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, and Jamie Overton — have failed to deliver the desired impact. The return of Ravichandran Ashwin hasn’t gone according to plan either. Even among the retained core, the likes of Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja have struggled to produce match-winning performances.
Adding to their woes, an untimely injury to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad disrupted the team’s rhythm. A mix of poor recruitment, underwhelming form, and bad luck has left the five-time champions on the brink of elimination from the tournament.