Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming didn’t hold back when talking about his team’s disappointing fielding during their match against Punjab Kings on Tuesday night, where they suffered their fourth straight loss in the IPL 2025. He was frustrated but somewhat optimistic after seeing an improved batting effort from the side, especially since they missed so many chances in the field.
The Super Kings were really struggling out there, making mistakes that cost them big time. They dropped several key catches, and one of those blunders helped Priyansh Arya score a quick century off just 39 balls. Khaleel Ahmed made a rough start by getting caught and bowled in the first over with only six runs on the board. Then, in the 12th over, Mukesh Choudhary made another costly mistake by dropping a catch at long-off while Arya was on a roll, sitting at 73 runs.
And it didn’t stop there. The five-time champions continued to pay the price for their mistakes when Shashank Singh, known for his explosive batting, got a second chance after Ravindra dropped an easy catch in the 17th over off Noor Ahmad. Fleming didn’t shy away from pointing out how the poor fielding contributed to their loss. “The game was really lost in the field. I thought we were sloppy and didn’t handle the pressure well at times. Arya played a fantastic innings, but we need to do better when it comes to shutting the game down,” he said during the post-match press conference.
He also mentioned that they were chasing a big target and fell short by 18 runs, noting that a few sixes could have made a difference. It’s been a tough season for CSK, and he admitted that their catching has been subpar, though he acknowledged it wasn’t just their problem, as both sides struggled with catching that night. “There might have been something with the lights, but it certainly raised concerns for us,” he added.
On a more positive note, CSK’s openers had a decent outing for the first time this season, managing to survive the powerplay and contributing 61 runs in just over six overs against Punjab’s bowling attack. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra looked strong, but things turned upside down when they lost Ravindra (36) and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (1) quickly in the middle overs. The asking rate shot up to 17 runs in the last four overs, prompting them to bring in Ravindra Jadeja as a replacement for Conway.
MS Dhoni showed some classic flair, knocking 27 runs off 12 balls, which included three massive sixes. But sadly, he got caught by Yuzvendra Chahal on the very first ball of the last over, meaning CSK fell 18 runs short of winning. Fleming pointed out a silver lining, saying, “At least we batted a bit better this time. The top order delivered some solid performances, which was missing in earlier games. It allowed us to create a chase, but we struggled to maintain a good run rate in the middle overs, and it just got too tough towards the end. Still, being in the game longer is a positive sign for us.”