Hussey: "We’re not waving the white flag just yet"

After suffering five consecutive losses for the first time in an IPL season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are hurting, but they are "not waving the white flag just yet," according to batting coach Mike Hussey. His comments followed CSK's crushing defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL 2025 match at Chepauk on Friday.

"This one really hurts," Hussey said in his post-match press conference. "The players are feeling it, the support staff is feeling it, and, as I said earlier, I'm sure the fans are feeling it too. This is a time when you really see who your true supporters are."

Despite the string of losses, Hussey remained optimistic. "We're certainly not throwing in the towel just yet. You only need to scrape into the fourth [and final playoff] spot, and in a long tournament like the IPL, momentum is key. Right now, we’re not having that momentum, and we acknowledge that. We know we haven't been playing consistently well, but that doesn't mean things can't turn around quickly."

Before Friday’s defeat, CSK had never lost three consecutive matches at home in an IPL season, but Hussey placed his trust in the team's leadership to navigate these challenging times.

"I know Stephen Fleming is a great coach, and MS Dhoni has been a fantastic captain for a long time," he said. "Ruturaj [Gaikwad] is still around, and I think they’ll bring the team closer together. They’ll make sure we stay united. We’ll certainly receive a lot of criticism, and we deserve it, but internally, we need to stick together."

With 18 players used so far this season, including all their overseas players, CSK is still looking for the right combination. Friday's performance saw them post a new low, reaching just 103 for 9 in 20 overs— their lowest IPL total at Chepauk. As KKR began their chase, parts of the stadium started to empty. Hussey expressed hope that CSK would turn things around for the fans.

"Our fans have been incredible from day one," Hussey said. "We hope they continue to support us. The players are hurting, and they will want to turn things around for the fans as much as for the dressing room. They've been with us during the good times, and we hope they'll stick with us now, even when things aren’t going as planned."

Hussey also disagreed with suggestions that some of CSK's Indian players were past their prime. He recalled how players like Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane had enjoyed late-career revivals at CSK and hoped for similar performances from the current squad.

"I don't agree with that," Hussey said. "We've had players in the twilight of their careers come and perform well for CSK. So I still believe that the players we have can still contribute a lot and produce great performances."

Despite the underwhelming contributions from players like Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, and Deepak Hooda, CSK has continued to back them over IPL rookies such as Vansh Bedi and C Andre Siddarth. Hussey emphasized that the team management would only bring in youngsters when they were fully ready for the challenge.

"With youngsters, we want to pick them when they’re ready to perform," he said. "We’ve got talented players waiting for their chance, no doubt about it. But we're not giving up on the tournament just to try out rookies. We’re still here to progress as far as we can."

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