Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) fourth straight loss in the IPL 2025 season drew strong reaction from their head coach Stephen Fleming in the post-match conference on Tuesday, April 9. Stephen Fleming didn't mince words about what went wrong in CSK's 18-run defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS). He put their defeat down to a pretty rough combination of some sloppy fielding and a less-than-stellar showing from their top batters. Fleming made it clear he was disappointed with how the team just couldn't seize those crucial moments, both when they were batting and when they were out on the field.
Stephen Fleming strong words for CSK after back-to-back defeats in IPL 2025
Fleming specifically pointed out how those missed opportunities and the lackluster fielding really let PBKS build momentum, especially during that incredible innings from Priyansh Arya. The young gun smashed a phenomenal 103 runs off just 42 balls – the quickest century ever by an uncapped player in IPL history. Arya's blistering knock helped Punjab post a formidable total of 219/6, which, in the end, proved to be way too much for the five-time champions to handle as Ruturaj Gaikwad's side was restricted for 201/5.
"The game was really lost in the field, I thought we were sloppy in the field, and we just lacked accuracy under pressure at certain times. We were put under pressure by a fine innings [from Arya] but we've got to be better than that in terms of shutting it down. So that's where the game got away from us," Fleming said, in the post-match press conference.
"If you're going to win the IPL you need your top three-four to get a majority of the runs. We haven't been doing that, so it was pleasing that we got off to a more solid start. We weren't able to just maintain a high momentum through the middle. Partly through good bowling and maybe we were trying to push it too hard. It was something we'll review, but it's not a bad chase. It's three hits away but we just lost a little bit of momentum through the middle," Fleming added.
Even though CSK got off to a reasonable start in the powerplay against PBKS, racking up 59 runs thanks to Rachin Ravindra (23-ball 36) and Devon Conway (69 off 49), their innings quickly lost momentum. When Ravindra was dismissed for 39 and then captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had an early exit, it put a lot of pressure on the batters in the middle order.
Shivam Dube, coming in as the impact substitute, tried to get the chase back on track with some powerful hitting. However, there was a surprising tactical move when Conway was retired out, bringing MS Dhoni (12-ball 27) in to bat at number 5 – his first time batting at that position this season. Even with the legendary Dhoni at the crease and Ravindra Jadeja (5-ball 9) joining him later, the CSK just couldn't find that extra gear they needed to accelerate the scoring. In the end, they fell short by 18 runs. Coach Fleming didn't hold back when talking about their struggling top order, admitting that the lack of substantial scores from their main batters has been a consistent problem for them throughout the season.
After five matches, CSK are lurching at ninth in the IPL 2025 points table with just one win and four straight defeats. CSK will next face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 11.