Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming revealed that the team’s planning for the upcoming season effectively began midway through the last campaign, when performances dipped, and injuries disrupted momentum.
He also stated that the work they carried out in the back-half of the previous season has helped them curate a blueprint for the upcoming auction, to be held on Tuesday.
In a video shared by the franchise on X, Fleming said, “Well it was actually halfway through last season where things weren’t going well we did a lot of work behind the scenes with trialling players, looking at some young players going forward, and we had some injuries as well so we used the opportunity to get some new players into the side and that was with a view to this year and I think the second half of the season was a lot better and we finished the last couple of games really well.”
That late-season improvement, Fleming explained, helped shape the franchise’s approach at the auction table. “So that helps go into the auction process when we found players like Mhatre and Brevis, and of course, we’ve got quite a big purse, so you saw a number of players being released, which is unusual for CSK, but again a reflection that we weren’t quite good enough in last year’s performance.”
Addressing how difficult it is to remain committed to long-term thinking after a disappointing season, Fleming admitted that rigid adherence to “process” was less important than reading the situation correctly.
“I’m not massive on process. It’s more around the feel and we knew that things weren’t quite right so the work that went in from the coaching staff and players down were to turn the season around but from a head coaching point of view and a decision making management point of view we were looking at what we could salvage from the season and make sure that we go into this auction and the next season with a lot more positives,” he said.
Drawing on past experience, Fleming pointed to the five-time champions’ ability to rebound from adversity. “That was similar to the previous year that was poor for us and we bounced back pretty well from that. So, we used that as a way of learning what to do and we felt that the work we did in the back half has set us up for a position going to this auction where we can be quite positive,” he noted.
Looking ahead, Fleming acknowledged that the upcoming auction presents unique challenges, particularly with multiple franchises reshaping their squads. “It’s really difficult. I think with some retirements and with other franchises releasing a lot of players it’s made it a difficult auction to gauge.”
While CSK’s sizeable purse offers flexibility, Fleming warned it can also complicate decision-making. “We’re obviously in a position where we’ve got a good purse, but it can be dangerous when teams only need one or two players. You really have to concentrate on maybe the requirements of other teams, but also you don’t ignore the priorities of your own squad and we’re certainly very clear on that.”
He emphasised the importance of adaptability on auction day, saying, “We’re just hoping that our strategy during the day will work or we’ll be able to implement it, because often the best plans are similar to others. So, you have to be able to pivot and navigate through that, but we think we’ve got a good plan in place, and if things go well for us tomorrow, we feel it’ll set our squad up well.”
The franchise will enter the auction with the second biggest purse among all teams, Rs. 43.40 crore, and nine slots to fill. Fleming offered a balanced view on whether a high purse is truly an advantage.
“Well, it depends on a team’s needs; sometimes having a big purse and needing a few players can be harder than needing one or two players with a medium-sized purse, so all franchises will have a pretty clear plan. It’s just who they target and you hope that there’s not too many that have targeted the same players as you. There will be some, but we’re in a good position to put pressure on anyway and if it does go our way, then we think we’ll put together a good squad,” he concluded.
