'He hasn't got magic wand': Stephen Fleming on Dhoni's return
What's the story
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are having a tough season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The team has lost five matches on the trot in their first six games and are placed at the bottom of the points table. Meanwhile, CSK's head coach Stephen Fleming has admitted that turning this around will be a big challenge for the team. He also spoke about MS Dhoni's return as the skipper and how it impacts the team. Here's more.
Collective effort
Fleming emphasizes team's collective effort
Fleming stressed that although Dhoni's return as captain, in place of injured Ruturaj Gaikwad, is important, it won't alter the team's fortunes overnight. "His [Dhoni's] influence will always be prominent but he's not a soothsayer," Fleming told reporters on the eve of their match against the Lucknow Super Giants "He hasn't got a magic wand... It's a case of us working very hard along with MS to turn it around."
Performance analysis
CSK's recent performance and areas for improvement
The team's recent performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was especially disappointing. CSK could only manage 103 runs for 9 wickets, and KKR chased down the target in 10.1 overs, marking CSK's fifth consecutive defeat and their lowest IPL batting performance at Chepauk. Fleming admitted the team is pained by this loss, but stressed they have to improve all three aspects of the game to start competing again.
Batting issues
CSK's batting struggles and future matches
CSK's batting has been lackluster this season, with no batter scoring over 150 runs or having a strike-rate over 150. Despite these problems, Fleming is hopeful his batters will find other ways to turn things around. Ahead of the next match against LSG, he confirmed that Shivam Dube is likely to be fit after he limped off in the last game against KKR.
2025 season
A look at CSK's performance so far this season
As mentioned, the five-time champions currently sit at the bottom of the table with just one win in six games and a net run rate of -1.554. Their only victory came against Mumbai Indians by four wickets. They then suffered losses to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (50 runs), Rajasthan Royals (six runs), Delhi Capitals (25 runs), and Punjab Kings (18 runs). Most recently, they were defeated by Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets (59 balls remaining).
Dhoni
Dhoni averages 34.67 this season
The veteran wicketkeeper-batter is enduring a lean run this season, managing just 104 runs across six matches. His fluctuating batting position has drawn significant criticism, with frequent changes in the order yielding little impact for CSK. Whether batting lower or higher up, Dhoni's contributions haven't translated into substantial results for the team. Despite the inconsistency, he has maintained an average of 34.67 and a strike rate of 146.48, with a top score of 30* this season so far.