Ahead of CSK’s fourth game of the season, against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Chennai, Fleming responded to the criticism.
“Results dictate that. That’s fair. Criticism is fair when you don’t do well,” Fleming said at his press conference. “That’s part of the position. Look, I’m coaching throughout the year and two other competitions [the SA20 and MLC], and I’m doing auctions across a lot of players. So it’s not that I just turn off and then come to the IPL without an idea of where the game is going. In fact, it’s the other way.”
Even away from the IPL, Fleming and his coaching staff have now moved towards nurturing young talent. In Major League Cricket in the USA, Texas Super Kings gave local batter Saiteja Mukkamalla a fair run last year and in the SA20, Fleming has overseen the progress of Donnovan Ferreira, who went on to captain JSK after their regular captain Faf du Plessis got injured. Though the results have not gone Fleming’s way, especially in IPL 2025, he said that he is in sync with modern T20 cricket.
“I probably 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,” Fleming, the longest-serving coach in the IPL, said. “So, yeah, we were off the pace last year, I’m the first to put my hand up and admit it. And we pivoted quite quickly now and we’re in a position where we’ve got some younger players. I feel very confident about this group of players.
“And in line with other teams, we haven’t shown that this year as we settle. 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. We understand that, so we’re trying to accelerate that process.
“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. So, 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.”
During the five-day break in the lead-up to Saturday’s fixture, Fleming and his coaching staff split their time between working with the youngsters at Chepauk and their High-Performance Academy on the outskirts of the city. Fleming believed that newbies have the potential to flourish in the IPL, but suggested they needed more time to ease into the side.
“It’s probably a little bit more patience,” Fleming said. “What I do love is the skill level. It’s incredible to see these guys expand their abilities and the lack of fear of consequence. But unfortunately, there are consequences in cricket, in particular batting. So it’s trying to teach them a little bit of game awareness without flattening their desire to hit every ball for six.
“So, look, the game we’ve talked about, the game has changed. But there are still coaching elements around the game that need to be respected. And that’s the battle as we go forward is what is the balance between being too reckless and then being sensible. And you’re seeing examples of both in this competition.”
Deivarayan Muthu is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
