Prior to the start of IPL 2016, Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) were being seen as one of the strongest contenders for the Indian Premier League title this time, but their results haven't turned out that way so far. They have just two wins from eight games so far this season (as on May 5).
The likes of MS Dhoni, Steve Smith, Kevin Pietersen, Ajinkya Rahane and Faf du Plessis make the batting line-up look formidable on paper. The bowling too, featuring India's most successful spinner in recent times, R Ashwin, besides the likes of RP Singh and Ashok Dinda, looks quite strong.
However, the team never really gelled and Stephen Fleming's side was left searching for answers as to what exactly went wrong. "It was new challenge and we were coming out of a situation where we were pretty well placed. It's a lot of hard work (to achieve the results that CSK did)," Fleming, the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach, told NDTV.
RPS had the similar set-up, with Fleming and Dhoni at helm. However, missing the likes of Suresh Raina or DJ Bravo could have added to that failure of building a good team chemistry.
On top of that, big names started getting injured midway in the competition and it further affected the morale of the team. The atmosphere might be a bit negative inside the Pune camp, but Fleming feels a long-term plan could just see them win the remaining six games of the regular league season.
"We are trying to develop some systems that will enable us to get success and longevity," the former New Zealand cricket captain said.
