Title holders Chennai aim to finish top of the table

A mixed bag of results so far in the tournament notwithstanding, defending champions Chennai Super Kings would like to finish on top of the points table in their quest to retain the Indian Premier League title, team coach Stepehen Fleming said here on Friday.

CSK have so far witnessed a mixed outing in IPL 5 and are presently lying in the third position in the standings with nine points from eight games.

"The team is happy about the fact that we have won 50 percent of the games we have played so far in the home and away format. We are aiming to finish at the top of the points table in the ongoing IPL," Fleming said ahead of his side's match against Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday.

"But we have to keep improving. We are looking at getting to the top spot," the Kiwi added.

Asked how it feels to play back-to-back matches against a particular rival, Fleming said: "We have not analysed the schedule. The team has only been looking at recovery time between games."

Fleming said that there is a problem of plenty in the CSK ranks when it comes to choosing overseas players for a match.

"Yes, strategy comes in for selection. Albie Morkel is back. (Nuwan) Kulasekara has had two fantastic games. But you have to think of the form of a player and conditions before selecting the team for a particular game," he said.

"You must take this rationale into account while deciding the playing eleven. But the good thing is that the team was getting better with every game," the former New Zealand skipper said.

Lauding West Indian Dwayne Bravo for his bowling abilities, Fleming said: "Dwayne Bravo can bowl effectively in the slog overs."