Bengaluru: For long, Chepauk has been Chennai Super Kings’ impregnable fortress. But in this IPL, all they have managed at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is a solitary win in six outings which played a massive role in the five-time champions getting knocked out of the playoffs race.
The primary reason for CSK’s stuttering at home has been their inability to find an alternative plan once the pitch there stopped giving copious assistance to the spinners as it used to in the past.
Michael Hussey, the CSK batting coach, accepted that blip. “In the past the pitch has turned a lot more (at MAC). It’s surprising, isn’t it, to lose so many games at home. I think other teams are getting better at playing at Chepauk. We have based our game around spin in the past (in Chepauk),” said Hussey in a pre-match press meet here on Friday.
He was echoing head coach Stephen Fleming’s sentiments as the Kiwi had earlier said that CSK were not able to read the Chennai pitches correctly during the last two seasons.
Even then, CSK had won five matches at Chepauk in 2024 when they finished with a total seven victories.
However, Hussey was quick to acknowledge that Chennai’s poor season has more to do with the mere ineffectiveness at home strip.“But I don’t think it necessarily comes down to just Chepauk. I think it’s just the way we’ve played in general. We’ve made too many mistakes with bat and ball and in the field for that matter.
“So, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing at Chepauk or away, I still think the results probably would have gone that
way,” he said.
A quick peek at the CSK batting chart will validate Hussey’s statement. Shivam Dube is their best batter with 248 runs from 10 matches, but the left-hander is not even in the top 20 run-getters in the stat chart. Left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad and left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed are in the top 10 wicket-takers’ list, but there is hardly any backing for them particularly
from spinners.