'T20 babies are now coming through,' CSK coach Fleming on splurging on uncapped rookies at IPL auction
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'T20 babies are now coming through,' CSK coach Fleming on splurging on uncapped rookies at IPL auction")
'T20 babies are now coming through,' Fleming on Prashant, Kartik bids at auction Photograph: (AFP)
Unlike the last time when CSK added seasoned players to their squad, they splurged on the uncapped rookies at the IPL 2026 auction.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming learned about T20’s growth the hard way, but vows to make up for it in IPL 2026, he said, following the mini auction in Abu Dhabi. Chennai made significant purchases at the mega auction last time, but failed to click as a unit, finishing at the bottom of the points table. Now, ahead of the recently held auction, they released close to ten players, making space for the newcomers; at the December 16 event, they splurged on the ‘T20 babies’, including uncapped rookies Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma.
Having also come close to sealing Cameron Green’s deal, which KKR hijacked and bagged him for a record price of $2.76 million (INR 25.20 crore) - making him the most expensive overseas IPL player of all time, Chennai spent INR 14.20 crore each on the emerging Indian T20 stars. Although they filled their remaining spots with some high-profile names, including Sarfaraz Khan and seamer Matt Henry, among others, Prashant and Kartik’s bids made headlines worldwide.
Also read | ‘Thanks CSK for giving me new life,’ Sarfaraz Khan expresses gratitude after finding new IPL home
Underlining the shift in their thinking and approach, Fleming admits CSK was sluggish to the game’s growth, further revealing the moment that forced them to look beyond picking ‘seasoned cricketers’ to the youngsters that brought energy to the camp. When multiple injuries forced them to utilise their bench strength midway through IPL 2025, CSK introduced youngsters like Urvil Patel, Aayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, to name a few, turning their modest-looking batting attack into an exciting line-up.
"As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it," Fleming said after the auction. “Only halfway through the [last] tournament, we had a big shift, and you saw with the players we got in as reserves, there was a shift in what we needed to do. Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success, but we identified that we needed to shift, and partly the work that we did last season, halfway through, has enabled us to continue that work done.”
Fleming excited for young talent
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Having watched it all during his time playing and coaching CSK for 18 years, Fleming admits to being excited for the ‘T20 babies’ to come and make this league about them.
"I just wonder if we're now seeing the product of T20 coming to the fore," Fleming said. "We witnessed at the start of last year, and certainly the year before that, my view used to be that experience was going to win, but now you have this fearless athlete that's been brought up on T20 cricket and has a skill set that's mouthwatering, and they just have no fear about what environment they need to exhibit these skills.
"So that is one thing to acknowledge, that T20 babies are now coming through. And it's just that mental aspect. Sometimes an experienced player can get caught up in himself, trying to work out where the game's going and what's going on. But these young players these days, they're just very free, and they only know one way.
"So there's real appeal, especially when the game is being played faster and faster. I think it's a byproduct of T20 being around for some time now, and we're all learning, being involved with it, and the faster it gets, these young players seem to play better,” he continued.
