Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming did not sugarcoat his assessment after their six-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. Speaking at the post-match press conference, the former New Zealand captain admitted that CSK’s poor season was the result of repeated batting failures and an unsettled top order, something the team hopes to fix in the next cycle.
“Our order is not right at this stage,” Fleming conceded. “That’s something that we are always looking to rejig. We've got some strong ideas for next year so that all facets are covered. But that hasn't been possible this year because [of] lack of runs at the top.”
The match against RR exposed once again CSK's brittle top order, with yet another batting reshuffle that saw Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin promoted ahead of Dewald Brevis and MS Dhoni. While that decision drew public criticism from fans and even , Fleming explained that CSK’s ever-changing starts have forced them to “patch innings up” rather than build structured ones.
“A lot of the batting positions are determined by how well a start we have,” he explained. “So we haven't had that, and we’ve been just patching innings up, really.”
Fleming also admitted that CSK’s form deserves their position at the bottom of the table.
“We don’t obviously like being down here… but it’s probably fitting that we’re at the bottom,” he said. “We’ve played that type of cricket, so you can’t hide away from it.”
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While the five-time champions prepare to wrap up a forgettable season, Fleming acknowledged the emergence of Anshul Kamboj as a promising development.
“His speeds have been around 138–139 kph. He is deceptive, and the ball always seems to hit the gloves harder. His big strength is his length, and he just gets the ball to wobble,” Fleming said. “He’ll be an absolute handful… we’re happy with his development and the opportunity he has taken this year.”
Matheesha Pathirana, however, remained a concern. Retained with high expectations, the Sri Lankan slinger has struggled with rhythm and consistency.
“He was really out of form. He’s made improvements, but it’s still not to where we or he would like,” Fleming noted. “He’s just at that crossroads where batsmen are playing him better. It’s a unique skill set, but it’s been a little bit off.”
With just one game left in their campaign, will look to salvage pride and give young players more exposure as they begin planning for IPL 2026.
