NEW DELHI: As Chennai Super Kings (CSK) gear up for their highly-anticipated clash against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), head coach
Stephen Fleming
has hinted at a potential absence for pacer
Matheesha Pathirana
, although his injury is not deemed severe.
The upcoming encounter between MI and CSK at the Wankhede Stadium promises to be a thrilling showdown, often referred to as the 'El Clasico' of the IPL.
With both teams eyeing crucial points to bolster their positions in the standings, the match is expected to be fiercely contested.
CSK currently occupies the third spot in the IPL standings, having secured three wins from five matches, totaling six points. Their recent victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has injected confidence into the squad as they aim to continue their winning momentum against MI.
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Meanwhile, MI has shown signs of resurgence after a slow start to the season, notching up two wins in their last two outings. Despite initially struggling, MI's convincing victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has provided a much-needed boost to their campaign.
Both sides have faced off on 36 occasions, with CSK ending victorious at 16 games and MI taking another 20 games.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Fleming said about Pathirana, who missed games against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), "It (Pathirana's niggle) was not as bad as what we had thought, so we are very hopeful that if not tomorrow, then very close. We know the importance of him in games like this, but we will make sure he is 100 per cent in this form," Fleming told reporters ahead of the game.
The coach was also all praises for the new skipper
Ruturaj Gaikwad
, who he said is "cut from the same cloth" as Dhoni.
"There is no difference (between Gaikwad and Dhoni). He is as cool as it gets. I know the last captain was pretty cool. But this guy is cut from the same cloth, so that is rubbed through."
Fleming rubbished all the talks around Gaikwad's "slow" strike rate, saying that they need to be put into context.
"He is such an impressive young man around his game and what he needs to do. He has been, I think, unfairly put into a bracket where he has been called slow. But you have to have context to some of these stats. We know that it is a bit of a Bollywood movie, sometimes getting these things up onto the screen. But he is fine. He is playing well. The last game (CSK vs KKR) was a great example of how a leader plays, and there is class as well. I have absolutely no doubt about Ruturaj," Fleming added.
In five matches, Gaikwad has scored 155 runs in IPL 2024 at an average of 38.75 and a strike rate of 117.42. He has scored just one half-century, with the best score of 67*.
Fleming said that though batting has evolved in the IPL over the year, there needs to be something that helps bowlers as well.
"Batting, in particular, has evolved at a huge rate of knots, the last five years in particular. So now you are seeing some unbelievable skill. The challenge of the IPL, from a skill point of view, is how the bowlers can even the game up a little bit," said Fleming.
"The two bouncers (rule) is one, and maybe we need to keep looking at other ways to do that," he added.
Fleming said that his team looks forward to this highly-anticipated fixture, which has turned into a fine rivalry due to the team's success over the years. Both sides have won five IPL titles each and it has over the years become the most star-studded and anticipated match over the years.
"We love it. We look forward to this fixture. Over the years it has developed into a really competitive rivalry, and it is based on two good teams playing successful brands of cricket," said Fleming.
"Not by design, but more through results, it has worked out to a couple of successful franchises that have had opportunities to push ahead of the others. But look, in saying that every time you play a team these days, it feels like a massive rivalry or a massive game. So we try to keep things reasonably simple and part of the process of this game is to keep emotions down and just enjoy the occasion for what it is," concluded Fleming.
(With ANI inputs)
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