IPL 2021: ‘He won’t be arriving for the next game’ – Two big guns of Chennai Super Kings to miss clash against Punjab Kings, Stephen Fleming confirms
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Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got off to a poor start in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This time it was the bowling department which let them down as Delhi Capitals (DC) registered a thumping seven wicket win. The openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw notched up brilliant half centuries as DC chased down the total of 189 with 9 balls to spare.
Having got off to a horrid start, CSK have suffered yet another blow ahead of their second game agaist Punjab Kings (PBKS). Coach Stephen Fleming confirmed that neither Lungi Ngidi and Jason Behrendorff will be unavailable for the clash. While Ngidi serves his mandatory quarantine period, Behrendorff is yet to touch down in India.
“Ngidi won’t be available. He won’t be arriving for the next game. So losing Josh Hazlewood, which was the plan to have him available for these games, is a blow simply as an option upfront. Ngidi will be arriving soon. Behrendorff would be following that. [Bowling] it’s an area that we are probably short on. But we still look at the Indian bowlers and we have international bowler Sam Curran,” Fleming said in the post-match press conference.
“Suresh Raina’s return was a really positive sign for us,” Stephen Fleming
CSK’s bowling attack has turned into an one dimensional affair in the absence of Josh Hazlewood, who pulled out of the league citing bubble fatigue. The franchise lags bowlers with express pace and it cost them the opening game of the tournament at the Wankhede. Fleming admitted that the owlers failed to create oppurtunities.
“It’s just that we did not create enough chances with the ball today.”
While CSK lost the game, the return of Suresh Raina in yellow was the silver lining for them. Back in action after more than 600 days, Raina struck a stunning fifty to help the side to a respectable total of 188. Fleming heaped praise on the batting and asserted that the side needs to be spot on with the bat especially in their games at the Wankhede.
“We were going at about 10 or 9 runs per over and the intent with the bat was pretty good.”
“It’s really good, considering the cricket and from where he has come from. We put Moeen Ali as an aggressor and Suresh Raina upfront. A couple of boundaries and he was away. It was a really positive sign for us,” stated Fleming.
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Anshuman Mahapatra
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