NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings’ hopes of reaching the IPL 2026 playoffs are hanging by the thinnest of threads, and after another painful defeat at home, even the future of long-time coach Stephen Fleming has come under scrutiny.CSK’s five-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk on Monday left them needing a win against Gujarat Titans in their final league game, while also relying on several other results to go their way. As pressure mounted, Fleming admitted his own future with the franchise would be decided by management.“There’s a lot of good things we’ve done. We’ve introduced some new players that will be hopefully generation players for CSK, but I know we’re judged on results. So, that’s a management call. Not mine,” Fleming said after the defeat.Gaikwad still learning the ropesFleming stood firmly behind captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, saying the 29-year-old remains in a transition phase after taking over from MS Dhoni.“It’s a big transition from having one of the best captains at the cricket scene running the franchise for such a long time to a new captain,” Fleming said. “He’s doing a good job. He has massive respect in this group and he’s learning all the time. I’ve no doubt he’ll be a fine captain for this franchise.”Gaikwad’s own season has mirrored CSK’s struggles, with just two fifties in 13 matches and an average below 30, as the team has failed to build momentum at key moments.Rebuild, injuries and Dhoni’s silent influenceFleming admitted CSK entered the season behind rivals after a major squad overhaul. The franchise moved on from players like Matheesha Pathirana, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, while introducing younger names including Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel. The addition of Sanju Samson also came at the cost of releasing Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.“It’s been a challenge. We started poorly and just haven’t been accurate enough,” Fleming said. “I was really proud of the recovery, to get back into the mix. But injuries to key players stopped our momentum.”The coach also dismissed suggestions that Dhoni’s absence from the playing XI meant he was detached from the side.“MS has been around a lot this year, which has been really important. He hasn’t played, but he’s still had a big influence on the team.”
