Stephen Fleming highlighted the need for a balance between the bat and the ball in the midst of high-scoring games in the Indian Premier League 2025. Fleming also played down the six-hitting concerns of his team in the tournament.
Chennai have hit 31 sixes in their six matches in IPL 2025, which is the fewest by a margin. Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran has 31 sixes alone to his name in the ongoing season. CSK’s batting has come under question as none of their willow-holders have been able to fire well. The result is that CSK are languishing at the bottom of the points table with only one win in their six matches.
Fleming played down the six-hitting problems and stated that players who play with the craft also find ways to score. “We do [struggle with six hitting], but it’s not everything,” Fleming said on the eve his team’s game against LSG on Monday. “I know there’s a fascination with power and six-hitting, but there’s also a couple of teams doing well with good [batting] craft.
“And I’d be very sad if the day came to us just being like a baseball competition and talking about sixes and fours. The beauty of the game is there’s still balance between bat and ball, and in some cases there’s not. So I’m loath to get into it too much. I love the skill and the ability to do that.”
He stressed the need to balance the things between the bat and the ball. “It’s phenomenal from an athlete point of view, but from the good of the game, balance is still really important. Our game in Chennai, the last game, was tricky. They [KKR] hit two or three when they were batting second innings, but for our boys, whether it’s a lack of confidence or intent, it’s not that easy.
“So it’s not just that you can turn up and just hit sixes. Some players are playing absolutely fearlessly, and whether that’s inconsistent or consistent, the tournament will tell, but conditions play a big part. But there’s still room for craft, and you’re still seeing top-class players playing pivotal innings when it’s not flat like a road. And I just hope the balance can remain, because while it’s great to watch and the skill set we admire, the game is still about a balance between that,” he added.
CSK will play an away game in Lucknow as they look to find inspiration and turn around their campaign, which has gone from bad to worse. Fleming acknowledged the challenge awaiting for them. “It’s a big challenge, there’s no doubt about it,” Fleming admitted. “So we’ve got to look at it in small steps and just continue to work to get better at all three facets really, and then you start competing. I think the disappointing aspect in particular the last game was the lack of competition we put up and that hurt a lot.
“So there’s certainly been a lot of internal soul searching, but also a lot of work around what we need to do. And it’s important that we put a performance out that is representative of the proud franchise that we are. So yeah, there’s a lot of hurt that we can turn to motivation, but it’s not about words, it’s about players grabbing the moment, finding form, finding their groove, and almost shaking off any apprehension which can creep in when you’re just searching for a performance,” he added.
