From start-to-finish, Chennai Super Kings proved unbeatable at home in the previous edition of the IPL. The defending champion has, however, suffered three reverses in front of its home fans in the current campaign.
Though desperation has not seeped through the Super Kings ranks, disappointment surely has. This was apparent when coach Stephen Fleming spoke after the five-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.
“We have been struggling at home. We would have probably defended a total of 139 here last year. Our spinners haven't been quite as effective this time,” he said.
The Kiwi also lamented the overall lack of form. “We haven't been getting enough runs and not defending well too. To make it worse, we were not accurate enough in the bowling and fielding departments against KKR. We conceded too many wides and were off the mark when it came to run-outs at crucial stages.”
With nine points from 10 games, Super Kings is definitely not out of the qualification race but needs to pull up its socks. “A number of issues need to be addressed, and addressed quickly,” noted Fleming.
No major issues
In stark contrast, there are no major issues confronting the Knight Riders camp, at least for the time being.
“It was a complete team effort. We did well in all three departments of the game. Most importantly, we never panicked during the chase,” said skipper Gautam Gambhir, the architect of the run pursuit.
Asked about the secret behind scoring runs, Gambhir said: “Frankly, there's no secret. When things go well, you need to capitalise on it because you never know when a bad patch will hit you.”
The Knight Riders captain also backed out-of-form batsman Yusuf Pathan to the hilt. “He's a quality player and I am sure he's going to do something magical soon. We have been winning even without his (major) contribution and that is a good sign for any team,” said Gambhir.
