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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming reckons the franchise's players will have to learn again how to play at the Chepauk Stadium. Fleming believes players must work hard to adapt to the slow surface of the venue, having not played there since 2019.
While the Chidambaram Stadium hosted a few games in the 2021 edition, the Yellow Army didn't play at the venue. The four-time champions last played at Chepauk in 2019. They will return to the ground in the upcoming season after a disappointing last year, finishing at number nine.
The Australian addressed the need to adapt to the Chepauk surface quickly and said in a report, as quoted by the CSK website:
"We have to really play well, and we have to re-teach the team how to play this season. We’ve had three or four years almost where we’ve been away, so our style of play has changed."
He added:
"So, we quickly have to get back into sync with the ground and make sure that the style of play we play represents what the ground’s asking. And, we’ll do that and we need to do it quickly. So, we’ll work very hard on that."
With four titles, the Super Kings are one of the most successful IPL franchises in history. Their most recent title win came two years ago, when they beat the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium by 27 runs.
"We’re really proud of what we achieved here" - Stephen Fleming
Fleming believes that Chepauk is essentially their fortress, given how they have dominated their opponents at the venue. He stated that the unrelenting crowd support has made them relish playing in Chennai even more, saying:
"Well, it’s a great time because we turned our home ground into almost a fortress, it was really hard for teams to come and play us and we worked hard. It didn’t happen by accident. We really developed the team that could specialise here. So, we’re really proud of what we achieved here."
Fleming added:
"So, this had to be a strong home base for us. And it was, and what we gave and the results we got, we got back ten-fold from the crowd. And as our support grew and our success grew, it just became an absolute juggernaut of a place to come and compete in."
The Yellow Army will feel bolstered by England's all-rounder Ben Stokes, who fetched INR 16.25 crore in the auction held on December 23.
