After the loss in the finals, Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni said that his side was not very good right through the tournament and there were concerns which kept popping up at different times. Now, coach Stephen Fleming too echoed the sentiments of the skipper and said that an 'ageing' CSK squad were far from perfect after a poor show with the bat which was their Achilles heel throughout the season.
With an average age of 24, CSK proved to be the team to beat all season as after winning the title last year, they made it to the finals this year too, but both coach and captain assessed that batting was a big problem for them right through the season.
'We have to look at recreating the side'
"We will give some time for the dust to settle down. I think if you win one title and reach the final next time, you have had a good two years. We do understand that we are an ageing team. So at some point, we just have to look at recreating the side, obviously MS as well," said Fleming following the one-run loss to Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad.
Dhoni also mentioned at the post-match presentation that there were gaps to be filled and planning to be done, but now the focus shifts to the World Cup. Fleming agreed and said that any deliberations over the new recruits can only be made once Dhoni is back from the World Cup. He also cautioned that they need to be wary while identifying a pool of talent before entering the auctions.
"He (Dhoni) will be travelling to the World Cup. A lot of talent has been established in other teams. You need to do it carefully and get the balance right when you try to go for players who you think can deliver for us," Fleming added.
Pointing out at the woes in batting, Fleming said that all through the season, the seasoned campaigners with the bat failed to step up and this did not help since the conditions in Chennai, where the pitch was spinning and sticking, were tough to get going.
"This year in Chennai was tough (turning track), the conditions were tough to read, hard to play. A little bit of training as well, our batters weren't big enough from the form point of view. If we look at the aggregate of numbers from our top order, we could have liked a bit more. Batting certainly was a weak part of our game this season, there is a lot of work to do," he added.
