Chennai Super Kings’ head coach, Stephen Fleming, recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2024 IPL. He emphasized that this match is shaping up to be quite different from past encounters. Fleming believes that keeping the big hitters, Virat Kohli and captain Rajat Patidar, from scoring runs will be crucial for Chennai’s chances to win the Southern Derby.
Kohli, who’s now in his 18th season with Bengaluru, has been a pivotal player ever since he started his career 17 years ago. He has an impressive track record against Chennai, having scored 1,053 runs in 33 matches, with an average of about 37.61. Over those games, he’s secured nine half-centuries, making him a key player to watch. On the other hand, Patidar stepped up as captain after the team parted ways with Faf du Plessis before the mega auction for IPL 2025. He’s particularly strong against spin, which is an important factor for Chennai to manage.
While speaking at a press conference before the game, Fleming noted, “It’s tough to comment after just one match. The RCB and CSK teams we saw last year are not the same now. We don’t focus too much on what happened before. It’s clear that Kohli plays a significant role in their setup.” Fleming acknowledged that RCB has a lot of strengths, just like other teams, and he sees this year’s competition as quite balanced. He stressed that if they can limit the scoring of both Kohli and Patidar, it would greatly help Chennai’s push for victory.
One player who missed Chennai’s win over the Mumbai Indians in their opening match is Matheesha Pathirana. Fleming mentioned that the Sri Lankan bowler is currently dealing with an injury and will not be available for the game against Bengaluru. He said, “Pathirana is on the mend, so don’t expect him to be in action tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Kohli’s relentless work ethic continues to motivate his fellow players. Dinesh Karthik, the batting coach for Bengaluru, spoke about Kohli’s commitment to improving his game. Karthik, who retired after the last IPL season, commented, “Even just now as I was walking out, he was eager to work on another shot. The fact that he’s still looking to refine his skills at this stage shows just how driven he is.
