Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has openly acknowledged that the team’s struggles in the ongoing IPL 2025 season are largely due to strategic missteps during last year’s mega auction. His candid admission came after CSK suffered their seventh defeat of the season, falling to Sunrise Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 25.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Fleming reflected on the team’s disappointing performance this year. “Things have unraveled quickly this season,” he said. “We’ve been closely examining our style of play and trying to adapt to how the game is evolving. It’s not easy—that’s why we’ve always taken pride in our consistency over the years. But it doesn’t take much to shift the balance. Other teams have improved, and that’s what the auction is about. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get it right.”
Player Form and Injury Woes Plague CSK
CSK’s auction picks, including Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, and Jamie Overton, have failed to deliver the expected impact. Even the return of Ravichandran Ashwin hasn’t gone as planned. Among the retained core players, the likes of Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja have struggled to produce match-winning performances.
Adding to their woes, an untimely injury to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad disrupted the team’s rhythm. A combination of poor recruitment, underwhelming form, and bad luck has left the five-time champions on the brink of elimination from the tournament.
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