Only a handful can articulate thought-provoking views on the state of the game, and Stephen Fleming is one among them. When asked on the eve of his team’s match against Mumbai Indians if he has noticed anything unusual or new about the IPL season so far, Chennai Super Kings’ head coach quipped: “Well, we have started strong, that’s been unusual!”
“I’ve seen that teams that have been confident from last year — Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab — have been dynamic. But the personality of this year’s IPL has not yet taken shape. The nervous have not got off the mark, jostling to settle down with new players and working through,” Fleming said.
“These are early days, and we are happy to get couple of wins on the board.”
Fleming also indicated that Mumbai Indians, which is yet to win a match, will play some hard cricket on Friday.
“There is a realism that it’s going to be tough and, given the kind of start Mumbai has had (three straight defeats), it’s going to be tougher,” he said. “So we have come here the New Zealand way — we have to really play well and not show complacency or over confidence. It will be a real hard fought game and let there not be any illusions about that.”
“We have always enjoyed playing here. Some of our players have had really good success here; the Indian players still vividly remember the World Cup win (of 2011); they have good feelings around this ground,” Fleming said.
Summing up the challenges his team faces, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said: “We have to bat well in the first six overs; that’s a concern. MI has lost wickets and still reached good totals.”
About where he would bat, Rohit said: “I don’t know if I will open in the remaining part of the tournament, it looks like I will bat at No.4. One has to be flexible in T20; get the balance and combination right.”
Addressing the injury concerns in his ranks, Rohit confirmed that Aaron Finch would not be available for selection for the rest of the season with a pulled hamstring.