CSK coach Fleming: We have to re-teach the team how to play

With IPL 2023 set to be played on home-and-away basis after being held inside ‘bio-bubbles’ for two years, Fleming said players will have to adjust to new ground conditions if they are to do well.

FILE PHOTO: Fleming said that with IPL action finally set to return to CSK’s fortress Chepauk, his team will do its best to maximise the advantage on home turf. | Photo Credit: SPORTZPICS

Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has asked his players to press the reset button and be in sync with the latest trends in order to bounce back from last edition’s debacle.

CSK finished ninth in the 10-team tournament last year after winning the title in 2021.

With this year’s IPL set to be played on home-and-away basis after being held inside ‘bio-bubbles’ for two years, the former New Zealand skipper said players will have to adjust quickly to new ground conditions if they are to do well this season.

“We have to really play well, and we have to re-teach the team how to play (this season). We’ve had three or four years almost where we’ve been away, so our style of play has changed,” Fleming was quoted as saying in a report on the CSK website on Monday.

“So, we quickly have to get back into sync with the ground and make sure that the style of play we play represents what the ground’s asking. And, we’ll do that and we need to do it quickly. So, we’ll work very hard on that.”

Fleming added that with IPL action finally set to return to CSK’s fortress Chepauk, his team will do its best to maximise the advantage on home turf.

CSK will be bolstered by the addition of England Test skipper Ben Stokes, who was bought by the team for Rs. 16.25 crore in the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi recently.

“Well, it’s a great time because we turned our home ground into almost a fortress, it was really hard for teams to come and play us and we worked hard. It didn’t happen by accident. We really developed the team that could specialise here. So, we’re really proud of what we achieved here,” said Fleming.

“So, this had to be a strong home base for us. And it was, and what we gave and the results we got, we got back ten-fold from the crowd. And as our support grew and our success grew, it just became an absolute juggernaut of a place to come and compete in. And I know the players loved driving here, turning up to play, and I’m pretty sure as opposition it felt pretty daunting.”