IPL 2021: 'Change in attitude is the No 1 factor,' says coach Stephen Fleming on CSK posting big totals

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have well and truly returned to the Indian Premier League (IPL) after a below-par season in the 2020 edition. The most evident difference between the CSK of last year and this year's side is the ability to keep going hell for leather even when the side has lost a couple of wickets.

With Dwayne Bravo coming in at No 9, CSK have created an enviable depth in their batting line-up which gives the likes of Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina the freedom to go after the bowling from the outset and play the risky shots without the fear of getting out. This is a considerable change from the last year where the men in yellow were failing to chase scores like 160-170 too because of being conservative, saving wickets and go hard in the last five, but used to run out of steam as the run-rate crept up to upwards of 12-13.

CSK coach Stephen Fleming attributed the shift to the change in attitude in the post-match press conference.

Answering a DNA query about how did that shift take place, Fleming said, "It's change in attitude, also personnel, probably both of those things. Just making sure that we have a lot of batting that you can play a high-risk game and that gives confidence. You might not use the players like today but it gives the confidence to the players to play a certain way.

"We felt we were thin last year to play a high-risk game, so we were a little bit conservative. But once again, we were coming out of Chennai where a 150-160 score is very adequate. so we really had to swivel around and change more attitude than anything else and this year I think we have added some players that have made a difference already but attitude is probably the No 1 thing," Fleming added.

"Felt we were a little bit conservative last year. So, just making sure that we have a lot of batting that you can play a high-risk game," says coach #StephenFleming on #CSK being able to post big totals in #IPL2021 #KKRvCSK

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— DNA (@dna) April 22, 2021

CSK are based in Mumbai this year and had to play their first five games at the Wankhede Stadium, where the ball travels, for which they really had to change their approach and try to go hard from ball one and they have certainly done that. In the three high-scoring games, CSK have posted totals of 188, 188 and 220 and have won two out of those three.

The addition of Moeen Ali and the return of Suresh Raina has certainly helped the CSK batting line-up in increasing their batting depth, which is why every player in the order is able to play freely without the fear of losing their wickets.

After the win against the Kolkata Knight Riders, CSK raced to the top of the points table with three wins in four games and a better net run rate than the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who are still the only unbeaten side in the competition.