Former Indian batsman Sadagoppan Ramesh believes that CSK head coach Stephen Fleming would never have got any success if he had not associated with former Indian captain MS Dhoni. This seems like a big claim to discredit the efforts of CSK behind their success.
Amidst Chennai Super Kings’ poor form in IPL 2026, they are at the last position in the IPL points table with a hat-trick of defeats. One notable absence from the team is experienced wicketkeeper batsman MS Dhoni.
He was not part of the team due to an injury he suffered before the start of the IPL season. However, the pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Stephen Fleming have not been able to create the desired impact required to win the game.
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“It is clear that Fleming’s success is completely dependent on Dhoni” – Sadagoppan Ramesh
Former Indian opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has made a huge claim by discrediting Stephen Fleming for all the success he had with Chennai Super Kings. The great Kiwi skipper has been with the CSK head coach since 2009 and MS Dhoni will remain the captain till 2023.
Sadagoppan Ramesh said on his Instagram handle, “Stephen Fleming has not got any success anywhere without Dhoni’s captaincy. It is clear that Fleming’s success is completely dependent on Dhoni.”
He said, “The way the game is evolving, the way a player’s fitness is analysed, coaches should be treated the same way. Stephen Fleming doesn’t have the mentality to adapt to today’s attacking game. It feels like he is five steps behind.”
Stephen Fleming has not won a single trophy without MS Dhoni
Chennai Super Kings have won a total of five IPL trophies, the first being back in 2010 under the leadership of MS Dhoni. He was the first captain to lead a franchise to consecutive IPL wins, winning it again in 2011.
They won their third title in 2018, when they became the second franchise to do so after Mumbai Indians. This was CSK’s comeback season, serving a two-year ban from the IPL. The next two trophies came under Dhoni’s captaincy in 2021 and 2023.
However, Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy ahead of IPL 2024 and since then, CSK has failed to make the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. Stephen Fleming, who has led the Super Kings coaching unit in the MLC and SA20, has neither won any trophies nor had very successful seasons with franchises like Texas and Joburg Super Kings.
Ruturaj Gaikwad must revive his batting form to excel as a captain
CSK had a very poor start in the ongoing IPL 2026 and lost the first three matches of their campaign. Sadagoppan Ramesh urged captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to rediscover his batting form so that he can single-handedly win matches for CSK, thus changing his fortunes as a captain.
“You don’t need experience to hit fours and sixes. But you do need experience to hit boundaries, which CSK’s bowling lacks. Still, to help himself as captain, Ruturaj needs to start scoring runs. By doing that and single-handedly winning CSK matches, things may start to turn around for him as captain,” Ramesh said (via the above source).
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