Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has backed Sanju Samson to come good despite a slow start to IPL 2026, stressing that the wicketkeeper-batter is still adjusting to a new environment after his move from Rajasthan Royals.
Samson, one of CSK’s high-profile signings ahead of the season, has had a quiet beginning with scores of 6, 7 and 9 in his first three outings. His struggles at the top have affected the team’s ability to get off to strong starts, but Fleming made it clear that the franchise remains fully supportive.
“It’s difficult when you’ve been at a franchise (RR) for some time and even though he probably feels pretty comfortable there’s still an element of belonging and he’s going through the process of connecting with this team,” said Fleming in the post-match press conference on Sunday.
With several changes in the squad this season, Fleming highlighted that building cohesion within the group is still a work in progress, something that naturally impacts individual performances as well.
“The team (CSK) has got five or six changes. So, it’s not like it’s a set team. There’s a little bit of work to be done off the field that we’re doing just to make the bonds a bit tighter but he’s fine. He’s fitted in really well.
“He’s desperate for some runs and to contribute along with the senior players. We saw with his World Cup (campaign) what can happen and when a batter gets on a run he is one guy that can be very dangerous. So, there’ll be nothing but support and confidence given from us to Sanju as he forges his path in yellow,” he added.
Fleming also touched upon the development of younger players in the squad, pointing to the need for patience as they grow into consistent performers. Ayush Mhatre, who impressed with a half-century in the previous game but followed it up with a low score, was cited as an example of the balance between promise and inconsistency.
“Yeah, it’s a good balance, isn’t it? You can see the talent but you are also going to accept that there are going to be mistakes. There’s some huge talent and going forward it’s going to be a really good core of Indian players, batters in particular.
“But you’re going to get a little bit of inconsistency from some of the young players but you’re also going to get some brilliance. He’s got a pretty good mentor there with Mike Hussey who is a pretty good batting coach and understanding of the game.
“So, it’s trying to marry that skill with a bit of game sense and that does take time but we’ll be trying to get as much of that into these young players as possible but without stifling their natural ability,” he detailed.
Reflecting on CSK’s third consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, Fleming pointed to a decisive late surge from Tim David and a lack of execution from his bowlers in the death overs. David’s explosive 70 off 25 balls powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a daunting total, shifting the momentum firmly away from Chennai.
“The real turning point was Tim David in that last part, the acceleration through the last sort of five overs. If you look at the score, we were ahead of them up to about five overs to go and then they just went like a rocket, and that’s really where the game was lost for us.”
Fleming admitted that while CSK had control for large parts of the innings, they faltered at the crucial stage when it mattered most.
“It was a tough night, we did some good things early on and then unfortunately just lost our shape in the backend the last four to five overs. If we’d just been able to hold our nerve and execute a bit better, a 210, 220 would have been in our grasp but we just got a little bit shell-shocked and that flowed through into the early parts of our batting as well,” he noted.