Chennai Super Kings (CSK) may have thump down Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by ten wickets in Dubai this Sunday (October 4), but their head coach Stephen Fleming thinks his team's bowlers still have areas to improve upon if they are to go deep into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. 

Bowling first, CSK conceded a total of 178/4 in 20 overs, before chasing that down handsomely with superb knocks from openers Shane Watson (83*) and Faf du Plessis (87*). 

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But given the form the team's batsmen had shown leading into the game, the idea that CSK bowers have perhaps given 20-30 runs too many did loom large going into the second half. Besides that, Fleming thought the death-overs went for plenty. 

Only Deepak Chahar (0/17), Ravindra Jadeja (1/30) were economical on the day while the rest of the attack, including Sam Curran (0/31), Shardul Thakur (2/39), Dwayne Bravo (0/38) and Piyush Chawla (0/22), was unsatisfactory once again given the conditions in Dubai. 

"We had moments with the ball (but) we lacked a bit of penetration. In hindsight, we were none down and it was hard to get anything going on this wicket. But we kept our structure really well. Our fielding was steady at best. I was just animated around the little things we need to do," Fleming said during the post-match press conference, as quoted by ANI. 

"We still have some work to do there. The key moment for me was overs 17-20. We conceded around 40 runs; it could have been more than that. Other games have been going for a bigger number; but we were able to keep them to 40, so that was pleasing," he added. 

On the batting front, Fleming stressed the importance of Watson regaining his form and CSK finally getting a solid start at the top. 

"It (form of the openers) certainly helps most of the teams who are playing well. Generally they are getting runs from their first three batters. When you do not get that, it is bits and pieces here and there and it can make you look a bit patchy. But performances like that cover up many things," he said. 

"By no means we are where we want to be, but individual performances help. Faf has been in form and if Watto finds form, it will make us a lot more competitive. Shane did not do anything different, which is the strength of the champion player."

"If Shane would have been looking out of touch in the nets, then it would have been a selection issue. He has been doing his work and it was a matter of time before he scored runs. If Shane gets on a role, he would be hugely important for us," Fleming added. 

Despite losing three of their previous matches, CSK retained the same XI against KXIP. While with MS Dhoni around as captain this was hardly surprising, Fleming said it does help to give players time and consistent run to be able to find their best touch. 

"It helps, as players know they (will) get a lot of opportunities more often than not," he said. "If we see an area where we are not happy, we will look to address it and if it happens by changing players, we will look at it. But if the players are doing the right things, we will look to back them for as long, or even longer, as possible."

CSK, now sixth in the points table with two wins in five outings, next play Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (October 7).