Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might struggle to make the most of the home advantage during the IPL 2023 qualifiers as they are “not sure” of the conditions at Chepauk, head coach Stephen Fleming said.
CSK on Saturday (May 20) secured a playoffs berth with a thumping 77-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
The MS Dhoni-led side is likely to finish in the top two. The top four teams will head to Chennai to play Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator.
“We are still not too sure about our conditions in Chennai, other years we were pretty sure but it’s changed a little bit this year,” Fleming said at the post-match press conference.
The four-time champions have a tendency of bouncing back after dismal seasons and Fleming feels it is due to the work that goes behind the scene.
“Each year is different. In the COVID year we felt we have couple of things wrong but we finished really well. Last year, we felt we would be struggling, it just about getting work done a year before, not just giving it up.
“Trying to give guys opportunities, finding pieces of the puzzle, to help us bounce back.”
He gave the example of pacer Tushar Deshpande, who has emerged as CSK’s highest wicket-taker this season.
“Deshpande is good example, with injury and opportunity he has developed into a quality player. It goes back to the auction table as well and the kind of squad we build.”
Talking about CSK’s last league match, they outplayed DC in all departments of the game. Opting to bat first, the visitors piled up a massive 223/3 on the board on the back of half-centuries from Devon Conway (87 off 52) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (79 off 50).
Defending the total, CSK restricted DC to 146/9. Deepak Chahar (3-22), Matheesha Pathirana (2-22) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-23) starred with the ball for Chennai.
Lauding Conway for his match-winning knock, Fleming said: “He has been consistent and he gets runs, he doesn’t always look flamboyant but is ability to get runs and do the job is high class.”
The head coach also said Chahar’s form would be vital heading into the knockout stages.
“He’s now got some confidence in his body, he bowled very well today and he still getting back to how good he can be.
“The spell today was smart. Even in the last games he wasn’t at his best but picked three wickets. If you have a bit of a golden arm with 2-3 games to go it is important he continues the form.”
(With PTI Inputs)
