The situation for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2025 season is deteriorating. The five-time champions faced their third straight defeat, losing to the Delhi Capitals by 25 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The batting order once again failed to meet expectations, allowing the visitors to secure a straightforward victory. Following the match, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming appeared surprised when a reference was made to Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel during the post-match press conference.

Earlier in the 18th edition of the lucrative league, a video was posted on Ashwin's YouTube channel featuring three panelists who criticized the team's performance. One panelist suggested that CSK should not have selected Noor Ahmad in the mega auction.

It is worth noting that Noor Ahmad is currently the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing IPL 2025 season, having taken 10 wickets. Nevertheless, the panelist argued that the franchise should have opted for a different player, given that they already had Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in their lineup.

A reporter raised this topic during the press conference, inquiring whether such discussions on a player's personal YouTube channel could create an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Fleming initially struggled to grasp the question but later expressed that he was not particularly concerned about it. 

“Mate, I have no idea. I don't even know he had a channel, so I don't follow that stuff. That's irrelevant. You guys are important,” he remarked during the post-match press conference.

‘Need to do better’

CSK has struggled to successfully chase targets exceeding 175 runs since IPL 2021. In their recent match against Delhi Capitals, the team was unable to make significant progress while pursuing a target of 184 runs.

Vijay Shankar and MS Dhoni finished the innings not out, scoring 69 and 30 runs, respectively. However, their partnership lacked aggression during the middle overs, particularly when the required run rate climbed above 14 runs per over.

CSK's coach, Fleming, acknowledged the need for improvement in the team's performance when facing larger targets. The five-time champions have now fallen to eighth place in the league standings.

"We are actively seeking the right approach to secure victories. We are certainly conscious of our chasing statistics. Our focus is on bowling effectively to limit opposing teams' scores, but we must also enhance our batting performance. It is crucial to have one or two players in good form, especially among the top three or four," Fleming stated.

"Observing the successful teams, it is evident that most runs are generated by the top three or four batsmen. Increased run production in that area allows power hitters to capitalize at the appropriate moments. We have struggled to bring in players at the right times, and losing by margins of six to 20 runs is frustrating," he added.

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