Chennai Super Kings batting coach Mike Hussey said the five-time champions are not going to panic, but the management certainly knows what needs to be fixed. Notably, CSK became the first side to get knocked out of the IPL playoffs race.
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00:00Just in what was rather a disappointing season, at the end of the season, what do you think would be an achievement for you?
00:08What is the positive that you think you would want to have at the end of the season?
00:13Good question. A few more wins would be nice by the end of the season, definitely.
00:18And then just, I guess, a lot more clarity on the players that we've got.
00:23You know, we're getting information every game, which will help, I guess, the management and the coaching staff and the captains, I guess, to make more informed decisions moving forward, I guess.
00:35So, great opportunity for some guys to get a chance to play in the IPL.
00:41Hopefully they can grab their chances and shore up their spot in the squad for the next few years.
00:45So, you know, that's probably, yeah, a few wins and a few players really taking their opportunity.
00:51That would be fantastic by the end of the season.
00:53Mike, when the campaign is over, and with about four matches to go, how hard is it to get the guys to get motivated and go and give it their all?
01:05Because, obviously, for RCB, a lot is hinging, but for CSK, they're out.
01:10So, how hard is it to motivate the bunch?
01:12Not really, actually. There's a lot of motivation in the squad, as I just mentioned there.
01:16There's opportunities for some players to get a chance and to show that they can play at this level.
01:22So, great motivation for those guys to put in good performances.
01:26Plus, they're a very proud group.
01:29You know, we're very proud to play for CSK.
01:31Got a massive fan base, and so you want to put in good performances to please the fans as well.
01:37So, I think that the players really understand their responsibility and giving their 100% effort for every single match.
01:43Not just for themselves, but also for a great franchise.
01:50Hi, Michael. A bit of a generic one.
01:53Do you think franchises have enough of a say in, you know, the pitches that are prepared at home?
01:58If not, do you think it should?
02:00I mean, without taking for granted the science of pitch preparation, given the whole tenet of the tournament is about playing seven games at home,
02:08do you think franchises probably should have more of a say in the kind of pitches that they play at home?
02:15Not really.
02:15I mean, the groundsmen are employed to produce good pitches.
02:20I think generally around the country the pitches have been excellent, you know, and the groundsmen do a fantastic job.
02:26So, I mean, I never like it when, you know, teams try and get an advantage by, you know, producing a pitch that sort of helps them too much or, you know, can affect the game, I guess.
02:38We just want to see good pitches all around the country, see great players come to the fore, put on a great show and a great spectacle,
02:44and hopefully the best team comes out on top.
02:46So, I mean, I don't know what you're alluding to there about Chennai, but in the past the pitch has turned a lot more,
02:52and we have sort of based our game around spin, I guess, in the past.
02:56But I don't think we've certainly tried to tell the groundsmen what sort of pitch we want or need and things like this.
03:02I mean, I'm not part of those sort of conversations, but I think generally the pitches we get are pretty good.
03:09Yeah.
03:10The IPL has always been a very competitive league, and teams are very closely bunched,
03:15and there have been a lot of permutation combinations going into even the last day,
03:18but now we see that one month early, two teams are already out.
03:24So what do you sort of put it down to?
03:27Is there a gulf that's developing between a bunch of teams and maybe not you and Rajasthan?
03:32No, I think you're right.
03:33I think it's such a competitive league, and it's really close,
03:37and there can be little games that go against you or little things that go against you.
03:42Some might be an injury, some might be a bit of bad luck here or there.
03:45Some might be some mistakes made along the way as well.
03:48So, you know, I mean, I know we're sort of sitting at the bottom of the table and we haven't won many games,
03:54but I actually don't think we're too far away.
03:56We have got some match-winning players in that line-up for a number of reasons.
04:01It hasn't quite gone, you know, the way we would have liked it,
04:03but I still think we're close and we can definitely compete with any team in the competition.
04:09I mean, Rajasthan, are they out as well, are they, or are they, they're done?
04:14So, I mean, I watch them pretty closely.
04:16There's, I think I can think off the top of my head,
04:18probably three games that they probably should have won, you know,
04:21and on another day they would have won them,
04:23and they'd probably be sitting somewhere, you know, right up near the,
04:26certainly in the top four.
04:27So, I mean, it's fine margins in this competition
04:31because you've got the best players from all around the world
04:33and little things that go with you or against you
04:35can be the difference between having success and not.
04:38So, we're certainly not going to panic and throw everything out
04:41just because it hasn't gone well this year,
04:43but we definitely need to tidy up on a few areas.
04:47It's never good to have a post-mortem in the middle of a campaign,
04:50but have you had sort of, have you reflected on what is it that's gone wrong?
04:54Obviously, I mean, you haven't played very good cricket,
04:56but have you thought about the auction
04:58or the fact that some of your guys got injured?
05:00I mean, can you really put a finger down on what's happened?
05:03Yeah, there's been lots of conversations.
05:07I mean, I don't really want to go into great depth
05:09into the exact reasons why,
05:11but I think it's given us a really clear view
05:14on what we need to look at for next season.
05:18And so, yeah, there'll be a lot of planning and preparation
05:20around, yeah, tidying up those areas
05:24that we probably haven't quite nailed this year
05:26and making sure we're very specific
05:28in how we sort of come out next year.
05:31But, yeah, I'm sorry.
05:32I don't really want to go into the exact specifics
05:35because, you know, that's obviously quite sensitive to us.
05:39Hi. Hi, Michael.
05:40Of all the things that have gone wrong for CSK,
05:44one of the biggest pain points have been at home,
05:47which used to be the Fortress.
05:49What do you think has gone wrong,
05:51particularly while playing at Chepok?
05:53Yeah, I mean, it's surprising, isn't it,
05:56to lose so many games at home.
05:58I mean, I think other teams are getting better
06:01at playing at Chepok as well.
06:02You know, they've been going in this tournament a long time,
06:04so they'll pick up things along the way.
06:08I mean, I think the Jews played a bit of a factor as well.
06:11It's made it a little bit easier batting second,
06:13and we've unfortunately been on the wrong side
06:14of the toss a few times,
06:15so that probably hasn't helped.
06:16And it's a tight competition.
06:19But I don't think it necessarily definitely comes down
06:22to just at Chepok.
06:23I think it's just the way we've played in general.
06:25We've made too many mistakes with bat and ball
06:28and in the field for that matter.
06:29So it doesn't matter if we're playing at Chepok or away.
06:32I still think, you know,
06:33the results probably would have gone that way.
06:35But, yeah, it's something that's hurt us
06:38because we love playing in front of our home fans
06:40and they turn up in great numbers
06:41and support us every time.
06:43And we love to have big wins in front of them.
06:46So it has been disappointing, certainly,
06:47to lose games at home.