Stephen Fleming reflects on CSK’s auction strategy struggles
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has conceded that the team’s disappointing IPL 2025 campaign stems largely from missteps during the auction, acknowledging that other franchises outperformed them in player selections.
Fleming was candid in his assessment, explaining that CSK’s woes began before the first ball was bowled. “It is hard to say we got it (player auction) completely right with the performances that we have had,” he admitted. “So we have been looking over that in detail just around our style of play. Also looking at how the game is evolving it is not easy. And that is why we are proud of our record today. We have been able to be consistent for so long and it doesn’t take much for it to go another way. Other teams have got better and that is the point of the auction. But we just haven’t been able to get it right.”
Auction challenges and tough reflection for CSK
The franchise, one of the most successful in IPL history, found itself grappling with consistency issues, partly due to a squad that, Fleming conceded, wasn’t optimally assembled.
“So you take responsibility from the top down and then you just ask a little 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,” he said.
Highlighting the unpredictable nature of the IPL auction, Fleming noted, “It is also not perfect science. The auction is a very fluid beast. It’s like buying [for] 25 hours and see it come away at the end of it mentally and sometimes physically exhausted. And to be fair, I still think we have got a good squad. We are not far away.”
Injuries, form slumps, and frequent changes hamper CSK
Beyond the auction, CSK’s troubles were compounded by injuries and players struggling for form. Fleming admitted that these setbacks disrupted the team’s planning and execution.
“A couple of key injuries, just a bit of a lack of form. And we have just struggled really to nail a game plan. We’ve chopped and changed too much. I think it was trying to look for something that perhaps we felt wasn’t there. So yeah, there is a lot of responsibility and soul-searching and it certainly starts with me at the top, 100%,” he said.
