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A major reason behind CSK’s struggle in Chepauk has been the unexpected nature of the pitch. Unlike the previous season, the surface has not provided so much assistance to the spin, neutralizing the traditional strength of the team. Batting coach Mike Hussey admitted that this innings had caught him from the guard.
“The pitch is very high in the past (on Mac). It’s not surprising, it’s not, to lose so many games at home. I think other teams are getting better in playing in Chepack. We have based our game in the past (in Chepuk) at a pre-match press conference on Friday.”
He echoed the sentiments shared by the first head coach Stephen Fleming, who reported that CSK denied the condition of the house in the last two sessions. Nevertheless, CSK won five games in Chepack in 2024, a total of seven wins.
Still Hussey insisted that Chepack was not a blame alone.
“But I don’t think it is necessary that it comes down only for Chepuk. I think it is just the same as we have played normally. We have made a lot of mistakes in the field with bat and ball and that matter.
“So, it doesn’t matter whether we are chepuk or playing away, I still think the results may have gone like this,” he said.
Actually, statistics support his claim. CSK’s top run-scorer Shivam Dubey with 248 runs out of 10 matches is also not included in the top 20 runs-songs of the league. In the bowling department, left-Hatiar Noor Ahmed and Khalil Ahmed rank among the top 10 wickets, but there is a shortage of senior spinners especially in support.
Veterans R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have overwhelmed, claiming 5 and 7 wickets respectively. Ashwin has not even painted in the last three matches.
The CSK had pinned their spin hopes on Ashwin and Jadeja, but with both misfinrators, a relative was left to a relative newcomer like Noor Ahmed to carry the load.
Despite the challenges, Hussey clarified that there was no instruction to change the position of the pitch in favor of CSK.
“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.
He said, “I don’t think we have definitely tried to tell the groundman what kind of pitch we need or need.”
Despite this, Hussey acknowledged the pain of the necklace of the house.
He said, “This is something that hurts us because we like to play in front of our home fans and they change in large numbers and support us every time. Therefore, losing the game at home has definitely been disappointing,” he said.
Looking further, Hussey indicated significant introspection and preparation for IPL 2026.
He said, “There will be a lot of plans and preparations to calm the areas that we probably have not seen enough this year and are very special about how we come out next year.”
The Yellow Army, sometimes loyal, will be expecting that the synonym of Chepuk next year brings a return to dominance.
