‘We don’t want to throw him in and damage him’: Fleming says CSK ‘won’t mess around’ with ‘talented’ Indian youngster

Punjab Kings defeated Ravindra Jadeja’s Chennai Super Kings in a dramatic conclusion at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, handing the Chennai Super Kings their sixth loss of the season. Despite a brave effort by senior hitter Ambati Rayudu (78 off 39 balls), the Super Kings were limited to 176/6 in 20 overs while chasing a 188-run total. To improve their chances of qualifying for the 2022 Indian Premier League playoffs, the CSK must now win all of their remaining games.

While a handful of players have appeared in the team’s eight games thus far, Rajvardhan Hangargekar has yet to make his debut. Hangargekar was selected by the Super Kings for INR 1.5 crore in the big auction leading up to the tournament, and many expected him to play a key part for the team this season. Stephen Fleming, the team’s head coach, has spoken out against Hangargekar’s frequent absences from the starting XI this season, saying that they must be “extremely cautious” with the youthful talent.

“You have to be very careful. I know he’s (Rajvardhan) performed at the Under-19 level but this is a step up. We’re very conscious of the skills that he needs to perform. We don’t wanna just throw him in and damage him. We want to make sure we realise the potential that he’s got, ” Fleming said, as quoted by the official website of CSK.