Stephen Fleming, head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), stated that the team management did not see the need to alter the batting lineup while chasing 203 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 27. The former New Zealand player said the franchise does not believe in disrupting things that are working well.
CSK lost to RR by 32 runs in match 37 of IPL 2023 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Rajasthan scored 202/5 batting first and restricted Chennai to 170/6.
Shivam Dube was CSK’s top scorer with 52 off 33 batting at number 4, but his efforts were in vain. When asked if Chennai could have sent their power hitters higher up the order, Fleming responded during a post-match press conference:
“The set roles are very important. [Ajinkya] Rahane has been great for us at No. 3. We don’t mess with things that are going well. It was just today we came up against a team that took the pace off the ball. We couldn’t get any real momentum in the first six overs.
“Devon Conway, who is in outstanding form, couldn’t get underway. The rhythm of the innings was slow. When we tried to catch the game up, we made mistakes.”
Fleming commended the opposing team for taking control by excelling in the powerplay with both batting and bowling. The 50-year-old coach remarked:
“The first six overs, they were outstanding with the bat and the ball as well. That just set the two innings up for them. We could have been better, but part of that is playing away from home – trying to find out the right length to bowl, what sort of swing conditions we are going to get. That’s part of the challenge of playing away.”
“They came out of the blocks really well”: Fleming
Looking back on the defeat, Fleming praised RR opener Jaiswal for his impressive performance. He also expressed disappointment that his bowlers were unlucky, as several edges in the final overs of Rajasthan’s innings resulted in boundaries.
The CSK coach stated:
“This pitch was a lot different in appearance than the last one. It played well. It was starting to get a bit slower towards the end, but Rajasthan played a great home game. They came out of the blocks really well. Jaiswal played a great innings to create some momentum.
“We came back quite nicely in the game. We were a little bit unlucky. In the last 3-4 overs, just with a few nicks, probably 16-20 runs more than what we thought. That’s just how the game goes. Those extra 20 runs made it quite tough.”