A key reason behind CSK’s struggle at Chepauk has been the unexpected nature of the pitch. Unlike past seasons, the surface hasn’t aided spin as much, leaving the team’s traditional strength neutralized. Batting coach Mike Hussey admitted this shift has caught them off guard.
“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 at a pre-match press conference on Friday.
He echoed sentiments earlier shared by head coach Stephen Fleming, who pointed out that CSK misread home conditions over the past two seasons. Still, CSK had won five games at Chepauk in 2024, finishing with seven wins in total.
Yet Hussey insisted that Chepauk alone wasn’t to blame.
“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.
Indeed, the stats support his claim. Shivam Dube, CSK’s top run-scorer with 248 runs from 10 matches, doesn’t even feature in the league’s top 20 run-getters. In the bowling department, left-armers Noor Ahmad and Khaleel Ahmed rank among the top 10 wicket-takers, but support has been lacking—especially from senior spinners.
Veterans R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have underwhelmed, claiming just 5 and 7 wickets respectively. Ashwin hasn’t even featured in the last three games.
CSK had pinned their spin hopes on Ashwin and Jadeja, but with both misfiring, it was left to a relative newcomer like Noor Ahmad to carry the load.
Despite the challenges, Hussey clarified there had been no directive to alter pitch conditions in CSK’s favour.
“The groundsmen are employed to produce good pitches. I never like it when teams try to get an advantage by producing a pitch that helps them too much or can affect a game.
“I don’t think we’ve certainly tried to tell the groundsmen what sort of pitch we want or need,” he added.
Regardless, Hussey acknowledged the pain of home defeats.
“It’s something that hurts us because we love playing in front of our home fans and they turn up in great numbers and support us every time. So, it has been disappointing certainly to lose games at home,” he said.
Looking ahead, Hussey hinted at significant introspection and preparation for IPL 2026.
“There’ll be a lot of planning and preparation around tidying up those areas that we probably haven’t quite nailed this year and making sure we’re very specific in how we come out next year,” he said.
The Yellow Army, ever loyal, will be hoping that next year brings a return to the dominance once synonymous with Chepauk.
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