"Other Teams Got Better": Fleming Admits CSK's Auction Gamble Backfired

Soumyajit Dutta

Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni [Source: @Devx_07/X]Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni [Source: @Devx_07/X]

Chennai Super Kings’ dismal IPL 2025 season hit another low with a five-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table. Head coach Stephen Fleming conceded the franchise’s auction strategy backfired, compounding on-field struggles marked by inconsistent performances. 

With just two wins in nine matches, CSK’s lack of cohesion and tactical clarity has plagued their campaign. Injuries and fluctuating form have further destabilised the squad, prompting Fleming to demand higher accountability from players. 

Fleming Concedes CSK's Season a Failure Admitting Auction Gamble

Fleming acknowledged the team’s failure to adapt amid evolving competition, stressing the need for introspection. He highlighted an unsettled game plan and excessive experimentation as critical flaws. 

While praising batters’ improved intent in the latest match, he admitted CSK played “too tensely,” undermining their ability to pressure opponents. Fleming hinted that the coaching staff’s search for elusive solutions may have exacerbated the crisis.

“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 then you just ask a little bit more of the players. 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," Fleming added.

Fleming also shared insights on how injuries and on-field and off-field chaos along with poor game management hampered the wins.

"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 it was trying to look for something that perhaps we felt wasn't there,” Fleming added.

On the defeat mirroring CSK’s season, he added that the team has been grappling with tense moments and lack of intent which was somewhat there in the Hyderabad game.

“The game sort of sums up the season. I thought there was better intent today with the bat, and that's something we've been looking for, is just to free up. We've been sort of tense, so we haven't been creating pressure on the bowlers and also losing wickets” Fleming concluded.

Meanwhile, SRH’s win lifted them to eighth while CSK remain last with four points, their playoff hopes all but extinguished.