Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming admitted that the franchise hasn’t been in the IPL 2025 auction, but also acknowledged that such outcomes are part of the process.

Taking responsibility for CSK’s poor season, Fleming has urged the players to raise their performance levels.

Harshal Patel’s four-wicket haul and composed knocks from Ishan Kishan and Kamindu Mendis have helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad to secure a five-wicket victory in the IPL 2025 game.

Speaking after the defeat vs SRH, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming opened up on his side’s struggles saying that, “It is hard to say we got it completely right with the performances that we have had,” he said.

“So we have been looking over that in detail just around our style of play. Also looking at how the game is evolving.

“And it is not easy. And that is why we are proud of our record today. We have been able to be consistent for so long and it doesn’t take much for it to go another way. Other teams have got better and that is the point of the auction. But we just haven’t been able to get it right.”

CSK have failed to find any consistent batter this season, and Ruturaj Gaikwad‘s campaign ending injury had made it worse.

Stephen Fleming said, “So you take responsibility from the top down and then you just ask a little more of the players.”

“But yeah, that has to be an area where we need to reflect and say it wasn’t as good as what it could have been or it hasn’t worked out how we wanted.”

Opening up on their auction failure, he said, “It is also not perfect science. The auction is a very fluid beast. It’s like buying (for) 25 hours and see it come away at the end of it mentally and sometimes physically exhausted. And to be fair, I still think we have got a good squad. We are not far away.”

“A couple of key injuries, just a bit of a lack of form. And we have just struggled really to nail a gameplan. We’ve chopped and changed too much. I think it was trying to look for something that perhaps we felt wasn’t there. So yeah, there is a lot of responsibility and soul-searching and it certainly starts with me at the top, 100%,” he added.

Chennai Super Kings will play their next game against Punjab Kings on April 30 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.