IPL 2024: We just couldn’t get anything through the middle – Stephen Fleming after loss against PBKS

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming admitted they couldn’t get the momentum in the middle overs against Punjab Kings after their seven-wicket loss at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Wednesday. After the CSK openers Ajinkya Rahane and Ruturaj Gaikwad added 55 runs in the Powerplay overs, the hosts veered off the track in the middle overs.

CSK lost three wickets from overs 7 to 15 and could only add 47 runs as Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar put the brakes on.

Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scored with 62 but CSK batting didn’t find any kind of momentum on a difficult pitch as they managed only 162-7 after being put into bat by Sam Curran.

“We have spoken about the unpredictability of wickets (in Chepauk),” said Fleming at the post-match press conference.

“Today the first ball bounced and hit Jinks (Rahane) in the helmet. Just trying to get a gauge on how it will play. Unfortunately we’re batting first a lot, which makes it difficult to gauge what a competitive score is. We got a couple of 200s, so that was on the mind today but it was a bit sticky. What was a good start in the first six overs then became difficult… We tried with the lefties, obviously Dube and then Jadeja was also an aggressive role which didn’t work, and Rizvi as well. We just couldn’t get anything through the middle.”

In-form Shivam Dube was plumbed in front by Brar without troubling the scorers and it was a big blow for the defending champions. Furthermore, Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed cheaply after scoring two runs by Rahul Chahar.

“Dube was a big part of that (six-hitting) and losing him today with their spinners was a great wicket for them. In terms of a left-arm spinner and a leg-spinner, it was a great matchup for Dube. We have seen him do really well this season but they won that one nicely and that then created pressure on our ability to continue to hit sixes and it was tough. Another thing is that it is a biggish ground, so if there is any kind of assistance, it’s hard square-wise to get boundaries. And they bowled well, they protected it well. Made it difficult for us,” Fleming said.

The former New Zealand captain gave credit to the PBKS bowlers for not letting them get out of jail. Brar and Chahar bagged two wickets each and conceded only 33 runs in the eight overs they bowled collectively.

“They bowled really well, they got good purchase and held onto it,” Fleming said. “So three good factors. We just got stifled through the middle, which prevented us from getting a score of, 180? I don’t think that would have been enough. There is a small window where the ball is dry and sticks in the wicket. Again it gets tricky to hold the ball and execute variations. They did the job well, they were aggressive enough and we were a bit off as well. It is a disappointing day, but it’s part of the IPL and we were on the wrong side of it. We were inaccurate with the bat and ball to compete.”

Chennai Super Kings will once again take on Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala on Sunday.