We go with gut feel: Fleming spells CSK’s winning mantra

Fleming was a proud and satisfied man after his old brigade, led by 40-year-old talisman in MS Dhoni, clinched the title on Friday, outplaying Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs. “There was criticism about the age of our squad but it is rewarding to finish the four-year cycle with the trophy,” Fleming said.

“Experience is important as guys who have been there and done it before add so much. We don’t get too deep into analytics and numbers; we go with gut feel and developing relationships with players. It is old school but it works for us.” Fleming said all the four IPL titles are special to him, but added that the latest one holds greater significance as it was bagged by a side which was written off at the start of the tournament.

“It is very hard to rank them (the titles). It is also special because you work so hard. As they are a result of a lot of hard work, they (the titles) are all very special,” Fleming said.

“I think, the win in 2018, coming back, was very emotional but there is a lot of hard work in this one. I don’t think a lot of people had any hopes from us to be able to maintain our competitiveness during this cycle. We were pretty much written off. So, there is a little bit of satisfaction around that and a lot of pride in what the players have been able to achieve and maintain the standards over a number of months. That was a challenge for an ageing side. I am really proud about what they did and in the way they played,” added Fleming.

Fleming joins New Zealand camp

Stephen Fleming on Saturday joined the New Zealand camp for a short stint to help the Kiwis prepare for the T20 World Cup.

Fleming, a former New Zealand captain, joined the national team camp a day after guiding CSK to its fourth IPL title. “Fresh from the @IPL Final – it’s great to have @ChennaiIPL winning coach @SPFleming7 joining us for a few days ahead of the start of the @T20WorldCup #T20WorldCup,” the BLACKCAPS tweeted.