“There was no home advantage at Chepauk” - Head coach’s huge statement after loss in CSK vs RCB IPL 2025 match
Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has denied any home advantage for the five-time champions at the Chepauk, claiming they haven't been able to read the surface well. Fleming said it's been tough to understand the nature of pitches as they are quite different from the pitches of the past.
The Super Kings suffered a landmark defeat to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chepauk on Friday (March 28), their first at home against the opposition since 2008. After electing to bowl first, the Yellow Army conceded 196 and lost by a hefty margin of 50 runs.
Speaking at the post-game presser, the former New Zealand skipper acknowledged that the pitches at Chepauk haven't been as spin-friendly as they used to be, where they could go with four tweakers. He explained (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):
"Well, as we've been telling you for a number of years, there was no home advantage at Chepauk. We've won away from home a couple of times. And we haven't been able to read… we've been really honest with you. We haven't been able to read the wickets here in the last couple of years. So, it's not new. We are trying to come to grips each day with what we get, and we don't know. It's not the Chepauk [of old] where you can just go in and play four spinners. We're having to work really hard to try and understand what the nature of each pitch is, and it's quite different."
CSK's three-pronged spin attack of Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja was supposed to be a potent threat. However, only Noor posed the expected threat, taking three wickets. Jadeja leaked 37 runs in his three wicketless overs, while Ashwin snaffled a haul of 2-0-22-1.
"We have firepower all the way through" - Stephen Fleming on CSK's batting lineup
When asked whether CSK's old-school batting approach is the way to go, Fleming hit back, saying they have as much firepower as any other side. He added in the same press conference:
"We talk about firepower, we have firepower all the way through. I don't understand this question. Just because we don't swing from ball one and have a little bit of luck go away, we'll see at the end. Just see at the end who wins it. It's a positive brand of cricket, no doubt about it, but don't discount us."
CSK will be keen to get back to winning ways when they face the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, March 30.