Stephen Fleming attacks Indian Cricket for CSK’s poor form in IPL 2025
Published - 21 Apr 2025, 05:16 PM | Updated - 21 Apr 2025, 06:01 PM
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming has sparked a fresh controversy by blaming Indian cricket for the five-time champions’ struggle in the ongoing IPL 2025. Stephen Fleming has taken a sharp dig at the current mindset of young Indian cricketers in the IPL.
With Chennai Super Kings going through their worst phase in the ongoing IPL 2025 season, losing six of their eight games so far, Fleming has turned the spotlight on India’s new generation of batters, slamming their reckless and all-out attacking approach with the bat.
Stephen Fleming attacks young Indian batters amid CSK’s IPL 2025 struggles
The CSK head coach has pointed out that many young Indian players have adopted a one-dimensional, high-risk style of play in T20 cricket, where they are swinging from ball one without assessing the conditions, and most of the time, they pay the price for it.
While this fearless attitude may look exciting in high-scoring matches, the former New Zealand captain questioned its long-term success, especially when the pitches turn tricky and demand smart and calculated batting. Fleming also expressed his concerns over whether the subtlety and adaptability in batting are slowly disappearing from Indian cricket.
Read Also: MS Dhoni openly admits CSK have given up on IPL 2025, eyes set on 2026
Stephen Fleming questions the future of India's batting
Stephen Fleming was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz, “We're seeing a wave of young players in India that are just taking on the bowlers from ball one. Is it sustainable in tricky conditions? I don't know. Is the subtlety of the game going to keep growing? I'm concerned.”
Do you prefer high-scoring games in #IPL or would you prefer watching games where scoring can get tricky? pic.twitter.com/07OtiPU423
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) April 21, 2025
Meanwhile, it seems that the Chennai Super Kings team management has accepted that their IPL 2025 campaign is unlikely to turn around. Stephen Fleming emphasized the need for a realistic approach, suggesting that the team should focus on bringing in fresh talent for the next season.
Stephen Fleming admits CSK’s struggles, shifts focus to IPL 2026 rebuild
Fleming said after CSK’s nine-wicket loss to MI at the Wankhede Stadium on April 20: “It is hard when you are playing below par to get enthusiastic about staying in the competition, but that is what we must do. Nothing will be wasted during this tournament.”
The CSK head coach added, “We will look back at other tournaments that have not gone our way and some of the work we have done at the back end of the tournaments that set us up for wins the following year. We’re realistic about the position that we’re in, but there will be no stone unturned looking for players for next year and combinations for next year, and we’ll see it as an opportunity.”
Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2025 playoff hopes all but over
Notably, Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2025 playoff hopes were severely hit with the massive loss to Mumbai Indians in their recent clash on Sunday. They are currently languishing at the ninth spot in the points table with only four points from eight games.
They will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament on April 25. Well, Chennai Super Kings can still reach a maximum of 16 points if the five-time champions win all their remaining matches, but that doesn’t seem possible, given their form across the department.
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