Chennai Super Kings have not missed the IPL play-offs two years in a row since the tournament began, yet that is exactly what happened in 2024 and 2025. A third straight stumble – three defeats to open the 2026 season – has only turned the volume up. Former CSK players have taken aim at the back-room staff, with head coach Stephen Fleming wearing most of the flak.
“Results dictate that. That’s fair. Criticism is fair when you don’t do well,” Fleming said in Chennai before Saturday’s meeting with Delhi Capitals. The New Zealander has been at the helm since 2009; longevity buys patience, but not immunity.
Key numbers first: CSK finished bottom last year, then spent INR 28.4 crore at December’s mini-auction on two uncapped players, left-arm spinner-bat Kartik Sharma and quick-bowling all-rounder Prashant Veer. The pair represent a deliberate shift towards youth – a shift Fleming and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad have both admitted was overdue.
The coach insists his methods have evolved. “I’ve never spent more time studying T20 cricket around players around the world, just to service the other teams as well, which feeds into the IPL,” he said, referencing his roles with Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket and Joburg Super Kings in the SA20. There, he promoted local batter Saiteja Mukkamalla and oversaw Donnovan Ferreira’s rise to stand-in captain after Faf du Plessis was injured. Results have been mixed, but the process – Fleming argues – is sound.
Plenty of observers wonder whether CSK’s current squad is balanced enough. Power-play wickets have been scarce; death-overs discipline even scarcer. Yet Fleming believes the side sits closer to clicking than the table suggests. “We just need a little bit of confidence and a bit of evidence, and that comes from getting across the line. And we haven’t been too far off. We got Tim David the last game. We weren’t as accurate with the ball towards the end, but we still managed 210.”
On paper, 0-3 looks grim. In context, two of those matches went to the final over. A couple of yorkers landing six inches shorter and the narrative is different. That, at least, is the line inside the camp.
The turnover of personnel – six new faces in the XI already – also brings growing pains. “One of the challenges is the number of players we’ve changed in the squad means there is a little bit of a settling process, whereas other teams have been together for a season,” Fleming noted. “We understand that, so we’re trying to accelerate that process.”
Analytically, CSK’s power-hitting depth has improved, but the bowling still leans on experience. Tushar Deshpande has impressed in bursts; Deepak Chahar is still feeling his way back after injury. The franchise’s tactic of pairing raw pace with canny spin has not yet produced the mid-innings squeeze that used to define their title runs.
Even so, Fleming remains upbeat while acknowledging the heat. “Look, it’s a really good sign that we’re working very hard and we’re well aware, I’m well aware, and the criticism is appropriate. So, we just have to work harder and find a way forward. But I do feel in touch with the game, thank you.”
A five-day gap between fixtures has given the group a rare block of training time. Fielding drills were dialled up; the batting unit revisited finishing roles. Come Saturday night, the only currency that matters is points. If Gaikwad’s men can put any on the board, the external noise softens. If not, expect the spotlight on the long-serving coach to intensify all over again.
