IPL 2021: "You got to give them a huge amount of credit" - Scott Styris praises Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum for their coaching stints
Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris lauded former Kiwi teammates Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum for their successful coaching stints in the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
While speaking on The Devlin Radio Show, the cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted how Fleming did a splendid job with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
He also gave credit to McCullum for Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) miraculous turnaround in the UAE leg of IPL 2021.
According to Styris, CSK and KKR were the two sides who peaked at crucial junctures. He stated that Chennai and Kolkata were in their best form during the playoffs.
"They were the two teams that hit the ground running for the second half. They were the two teams who got to the backend of the playoffs, probably in the best form."
Styris noted how the Chennai think tank made a bold move by roping England all-rounder Moeen Ali and promoting him to No. 3 in their batting order.
The move yielded a positive result for MS Dhoni and co. as they went on to clinch their fourth championship title.
The former cricketer also pointed out that CSK were the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs race last year. He feels that the changes made by Fleming and the team management this season helped them make a spectacular comeback.
"You got to give them (Fleming and McCullum) a huge amount of credit. Chennai were the first official team to be knocked out last season.
"They made a couple of personnel changes, picked up Moeen Ali from England and put him into number 3, which no one had seen it coming. It ended up being probably one of the reasons why they ended up winning the title," Styris added.
Moeen Ali, with his counter-attacking approach, played a number of impactful knocks for Chennai in the latest edition. The southpaw amassed 357 runs from 15 matches and had an impressive strike rate of 137.30.
"Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming did a terrific job in identifying possible weaknesses in the group" - Scott Styris
Speaking about KKR's dream-run in the UAE, Styris praised McCullum for nurturing someone like Venkatesh Iyer and using him at the right time in the competition.
He feels that both Kiwi coaches were successful in identifying weaknesses in their respective teams. They also did a phenomenal job tactically in order to overcome the same, according to Styris.
"Brendon McCullum and Stephen Fleming did a terrific job in identifying possible weaknesses in their groups and then filling those by doing the right things strategically and tactically."
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CSK posted an imposing score of 192 to take an early advantage over KKR in the summit clash. Kolkata openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer orchestrated a stellar partnership at the top to bring their side back into the hunt.
However, their middle-order woes continued and their batters fell like ninepins in the middle-overs. CSK ultimately won the contest by 27 runs and were crowned champions for the fourth time in the league's history.