Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming says he is proud to have worked with a great captain in MS Dhoni and reveals he doesn’t crave for accolades
With 5 IPL titles and 2 Champions League titles for Chennai Super Kings, Fleming is the most successful coach in the tournament. CSK is also a top franchise in IPL. However, MS Dhoni has been the face of the franchise's successful reign. In the last two seasons, with Dhoni stepping aside from captaincy and Fleming leading the charge, the franchise’s performance has significantly deteriorated, so Fleming is under scrutiny.
When asked about whether he has got due credit for winning 5 IPL titles with CSK, the Kiwi coach replied, “ No, it’s not really. It’s actually purely the players”
As head coach, he emphasises the importance of consistency, strong management backing, and the players' ability to execute under pressure. He believes the players deserve the accolades for performing, often downplaying his own tactical role in the five championships.
Fleming adds “ I’m proud of the results and don’t desire accolades”
Fleming further explained that “For me, it just gives us another year coaching. And it’s always been the case. The players do it. The coaching off the field is really important, but the performances on the field win titles. And, yes, we play a part in the fitness of players, the performance of players, the mental state of players, but ultimately, the coaches are judged on the players. I’ve worked with one of the greatest captains of all time, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to do that as a coach. So, look, it’s not lost on me, and I’m proud of the results, but it’s not something that I crave or desire to get accolades for.”
When asked about his long CSK coaching stint since 2009, he replied, “ 11 finals and 5 trophies, so I guess I’m very grateful, it is unusual. But we have been able to operate at a consistent level that, I guess, has allowed the franchise to put faith in the coaching group. So, the familiarity of what we think is important. We’re doing our job well, and the owners are a judge of that, and the public is a judge of the results. It’s somewhere in the middle of being consistent enough to justify still doing it. And when you have a really inconsistent competition, where you lose a team after three years, sometimes having that consistency can help. All I can say is we’re lucky to have got this far, but we’re very proud that we’ve achieved what we’ve achieved, but not satisfied. So, there’s that desire to keep adding and making sure we’re doing a good job, or we move on”
Fleming joined CSK as a player in the inaugural IPL season of 2008 and then started his coaching tenure from 2009.
