Sanju Samson, given the hype and fame he rode coming into IPL 2026, has been the biggest disappointment of the season so far. His scores in Chennai Super Kings’ first three matches read 6, 7 & 9.

Chennai head coach Stephen Fleming, however, downplayed Samson’s struggles, saying that the keeper-batter is “going through the process of connecting” with his new team and he is “desperate” to score runs and contribute to the side’s success.

“It’s difficult when you’ve been at a franchise (Rajasthan Royals) for some time and even though he probably feels pretty comfortable, there’s still an element of belonging, and he’s going through the process of connecting with this team,” Fleming said after his team’s loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday.

“The team (CSK) has got five or six changes. So, it’s not like it’s a set team. There’s a little bit of work to be done off the field that we’re doing just to make the bonds a bit tighter, but he’s fine. He’s fitted in really well.

“He’s desperate for some runs and to contribute along with the senior players. We saw with his World Cup (campaign) what can happen and when a batter gets on a run, he is one guy that can be very dangerous. So, there’ll be nothing but support and confidence given from us to Sanju as he forges his path in yellow,” Fleming promised.

About the young crop of players in the team, the New Zealander said: You can see the talent, but you are also going to accept that there are going to be mistakes. There’s some huge talent and going forward it’s going to be a really good core of Indian players, batters in particular.”