Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has admitted that their auction strategy was not up to the mark and it eventually led to debacle in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.
Fleming’s candid admission came after CSK suffered a comprehensive five-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Chepauk on Friday (April 25).
It was CSK’s seventh defeat in nine outings this season and the five-time champions continue to languish at the bottom of the 10-team points table.
CSK's template of going for the tried and tested players have backfired, with the team now virtually out of the playoffs race.
"It's hard to say. We got it completely right with the performances that we've had. 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's not easy.
"And that's why we're proud of our record today, that we've been able to be consistent for so long. And it doesn't take much for it to go another way," Fleming said after losing to SRH, initially trying hard to defend his team.
But then there was acceptance that they might have missed a trick or two. "Other teams have got better, and that's the point of the auction. But we just haven't been able to get it right. So you take responsibility from the top down, and you just ask a little bit 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.
"But it's also not a perfect science. The auction is a very fluid beast. It's like buying (for) 25 hours, so you come away at the end of it mentally and sometimes physically exhausted. And to be fair, I still think we've got a good squad. We're not far away," he said, putting up a brave front.
Players like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar have failed to make a mark and CSK's unwillingness to try out new talents at the start of the tournament cost them massively.
At the back end, young guns such as Ayush Mhatre, Shaik Rasheed and Dewald Brevis are showing promise for the next season. As a result, Fleming agreed that they probably need to have a closer look at their style of play.
Injury to skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and trying out as many as 19 players to figure out the right combination also contributed to their dismal show.
"A couple of key injuries, just a bit of a lack of form. And we've just struggled really to nail a game plan. Chopped and changed too much, but I think he was trying to look for something that perhaps we felt wasn't there.
"So yeah, there's a lot of responsibility in soul-searching, and it certainly starts with me at the top, 100% percent," Fleming remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
