IPL 2020: You won't believe what Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said after loss against Rajasthan Royals

CSK head coach Fleming has hinted that the morale in the CSK dressing room is very low as they are unlikely to make it to the playoffs.

Pic courtesy: BCCI/IPL

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has hinted that the morale in the CSK dressing room is very low as the three-time IPL champions are unlikely to make it to the playoffs for the first time in IPL's history.

Notably, CSK has always reached in the playoffs in all ten seasons that they have been part of the cash-rich tournament but Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side will need nothing less than a miracle to reach the last four in IPL 2020.

On Sunday, the CSK faced a humiliating 7-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their 10th group-stage clash. Batting first, CSK were restricted to 125/5 in 20 overs and in response RR's Jos Buttler batted superbly to score an unbeaten 70 off 48 balls.

"It's fair to say looking at the table now that this team may have run out of juice. If you're looking at the three-year cycle - we won the first year; lost off the last ball last year, and we always thought that the third year with an ageing squad would be difficult. And Dubai [UAE] has challenged us with a whole new set of requirements," said Fleming.

“It’s pretty down (morale in the dressing room) to be honest. We have come close in a couple of games but today we were thoroughly outplayed. We knew it was a crucial game to stay real in the competition. I think there’s an outside chance that we can possibly get through, but when you’re relying on other results and a change of form for your own team, it’s very hard to be upbeat and positive,” Fleming added.

CSK are scheduled to clash against Mumbai Indians on Friday in IPL 2020.