Fleming wants CSK to get better in the final

"We were okay, Ngidi was great, (Ravindra) Jadeja was very good but it was an okay performance. We have been better, so I guess that's what we'll look at over the next four days," he said. Fleming said Faf du Plessis, who single-handedly guided CSK into the final of Indian Premier League's 11th edition, was played in the first qualifier because of an injury to Sam Billings.

The Qualifier 1 against the table topper was only the fifth game that du Plessis played this season. The South Africa captain grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

"The game obviously has its ups and downs and turns but we have had a season where we have won from unwinnable positions. 

Today (May 22) was one of those, it seems. It's been individual players who have got us out of trouble and different players all the time. Of course, MS (Dhoni) is a usual culprit," Fleming noted.

The former New Zealand captain also heaped praise on young South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi, who returned figures of 1-20 and accounted for rival opener Shreevats Goswami.

"He (Ngidi) has provided a spearhead for MS and it's improved the first six overs. So we're getting wickets in the front, Deepak Chahar is also swinging the ball. The two of them have provided opportunities to take wickets and that's allowed our other bowlers to come into the game a bit more, so he's (Ngidi) been quite instrumental, certainly reducing the scores we're chasing," added Fleming.

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming admitted that slow over rate has been a problem this IPL and blamed the hot and humid weather for teams taking too much time to get things moving.

"We can all feel how humid it is. Late season games in Mumbai and Chennai are going to be longer, because the players do suffer. If a player bats, say for a period of time, they are under some stress," Fleming said after his side's win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first qualifier.

Chasing a modest target of 140, CSK were down in the dumps at 92 for seven, before Faf Du Plessis (67 off 42 balls) engineered a stunning comeback.

Speaking about the South African, Fleming said, "And Faf (du Plessis) is like a Ferrari car, he needs a lot of attention. So, it is always going to take time when he is over there." 

Quite a few teams and captains have already been fined for slow over rate this season.

"But it can be sped up, there is time wasting in cricket in general, but that's a separate discussion. Slow over rates are killing the game, from Test cricket down. So it does have to be policed better, and players have to oblige a bit more," said Fleming, a former captain of New Zealand.

The Super Kings coach said yesterday was the only time in the season that his team was slow in the over-rate front.

"We're pretty good. That is probably the only game where we've been a bit slow. It's just a question for our team, because I felt we were off mentally. And when you're wandering around without purpose, you take more time." 

"We were seven minutes down at the drinks break and it was enough for me to crack the whip a little. So we were just off a bit today. And that contributes to the slowness of the game. We don't want to do that and we certainly want to improve," Fleming said.