‘Been a frustrating season so far’

The Chennai Super Kings slumped to their fourth defeat in a row, losing to the Punjab Kings on Tuesday. The latest defeat leaves them in ninth spot in the Indian Premier League standings with two points against their name and a net run rate of -0.889. Notably, this was also CSK’s fourth loss while chasing a target in IPL 2025.
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming found some positives in the defeat, but admitted that the run of results had been “frustrating”. They fell 18 runs shorts of the target of 220 set Punjab Kings. While the batting order has idled in second gear, Fleming did point that they had been profligate in the field (CSK have dropped at least 11 catches in five IPL 2025 matches).
“It (has been) a frustrating season so far,” Fleming told journals after the defeat at Mullanpur. “The catching has been poor, but it was poor from both sides. Whether it was something in the light, I’m not sure, but certainly for us that was an area of concern. If you want to pick up 20 runs, it’s probably that and (the) drop catches.”
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Talking about the positives he saw from CSK in the defeat to Punjab, Fleming said: “Well, positive-wise, we batted a bit better. We got some substance from the top order, which has been lacking so we were able to then construct the chase… We just weren’t able to keep the run rate at a good level through the middle, and it just left too much towards the end. But we’ve been out of games, so to be in a game for a lot longer is a positive aspect. The game was really lost in the field.”
Fleming also praised Punjab youngster Priyansh Arya who smashed the 4th fastest century in IPL hory after pummeling CSK bowlers for a 39-ball hundred.
Priyansh Arya of Punjab Kings bats against Chennai Super Kings at Mullanpur. (Express Photo Kamleshwar Singh)
READ MORE | Priyansh Arya: Son of school teachers gets 100 vs CSK, topper among the rookies in IPL 2025
“He played very well right from the first ball. It’s very brave when you come off a first ball dismissal to look to play a shot like that,” Fleming said. Story continues below this ad
“We were just a little bit sloppy. We were put under pressure, and the young man had some amazing shots. We succumbed a little bit to that pressure putting the ball in areas that he was stronger in, and we just didn’t adjust quick enough.”