Stephen Fleming : The suspension doesn't have an influence on CSK players

04/07/2018

CSK coach Stephen Fleming is not worried about his players feeling scarred ahead of their return to the IPL after a two-year ban due to betting allegations against the CSK management. Fleming feels that defending champions Mumbai Indians franchise lack a standout spin bowler in their 2018 squad.

The 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal rocked the nation to its very core after three Rajasthan Royals players - Aniket Chavan, Ajit Chandila, and S Sreesanth were all found guilty of spot-fixing during the IPL tournament. Gurunath Meiyappan, the Chennai Super Kings team principal and BCCI president N Srinivasan's son in law, was also pulled up for having ties with bookies for betting. Both teams were banned from playing in the IPL for two seasons as a consequence of their actions and this whole saga cost Srinivasan his job with the BCCI as well.

But CSK coach Stephen Fleming added that the players, who were part of the team back then, are not scarred by the events that occurred in 2013. He added that none of the players were involved in anything illegal and hence they are free if any guilt.

"I think we've prepared well. Just a lot of nerves around but no more than normal. Players want to get into it and we've had the best part of 12 days leading into the competition, so the feeling is one of we're ready to play. We've done all we can, but there's still the element of getting into the tournament and getting the team selections right. The general feeling is we're just ready to go,"

"It (the suspension) doesn't have an influence on the players. Players didn't do anything to be scarred from, so there's no scars there," said Fleming in an interview to ESPNCricinfo.

CSK are set to face Mumbai Indians in the opening fixture of the 2018 edition of the IPL today at the Wankhede stadium. The two teams have developed somewhat of an intense rivalry over the years and have been two of the most successful teams in the global and domestic competitions. However, Fleming opined that the MI franchise lacked a standout spinner for this season’s IPL tournament.

"Just trying to read the conditions is always a challenge here. I guess looking at their team, they've no standout spin options. I say this with the greatest of respect for them. In terms of the name, Krunal Pandya is there, as we've got three or four. But we've also got the pace options that can accommodate this kind of a challenge," Fleming said.

Stephen Fleming : The suspension doesn't have an influence on CSK players

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