**Last updated:** May 04, 2025, 14:01 IST
### CSK Defeated in IPL 2025: Stephen Fleming Supports Dhoni
Chennai Super Kings’ head coach, Stephen Fleming, has expressed his backing for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni following their loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Fleming defended the decision to have Khalil Ahmed bowl the 19th over, during which Ahmed conceded 33 runs.
**Fleming’s Statement on MS Dhoni**
**Highlights:**
– Stephen Fleming stands by Dhoni after the defeat.
– He stated it was the right choice to bowl to Khalil in the 19th over.
– Khalil Ahmed conceded 33 runs during that over.
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**New Delhi:** After the loss to RCB, Chennai Super Kings’ head coach, Stephen Fleming, came to the defense of team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Despite Khalil Ahmed allowing 33 runs in the crucial 19th over, Fleming praised Ahmed’s overall performance this season and mentioned that the team would explore additional options moving forward in the Indian Premier League.
Dhoni opted to have Ahmed bowl despite Anshul Kamboj having a successful outing in the match. Unfortunately, this decision backfired as Ahmed struggled against the aggressive batting of Romario Shepherd.
**Dhoni isn’t solely to blame; here are three reasons for CSK’s downfall in IPL 2025.**
In a post-match press conference on Saturday night, Fleming remarked, “Khalil has been effective for us this season, and Dhoni had no reason to choose another bowler.”
Fleming continued, “Kamboj is improving in his role and is capable of handling death overs. He could be a viable option in the future, but there was no justification for calling him instead of Khalil.”
**IPL 2025: Controversy Surrounds CSK! Jadeja Couldn’t Tolerate It, Debates with Umpires Over Brevis Incident.**
RCB set a target of 214 runs for Chennai, but the team managed only 211 runs for five wickets. Fleming noted, “If we had capitalized on just one over, we could have secured the win, but their bowling was quite effective. We needed a strong over after the 10th, which didn’t happen.”
