After arriving in their home city post winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) title, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming said relocating to a different venue was a tough decision for his side.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK side, which hammered Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the summit clash of the cash-rich league on Sunday, had to shift base to Pune as protests erupted against the yellow brigade following the Cauvery water dispute here.

“Most of the plans were to build a team according to Chennai’s conditions but those things weren’t in our control,” Fleming said at a press conference on Monday.

“Moving out of Chennai was a difficult decision. We knew the conditions of Pune. We had to change the way we had to play the game,” the former New Zealand skipper added.

Significantly, just a single match was possible in Chennai before BCCI shifted the remaining home games of the three-time IPL champions citing security concerns.

“We knew the conditions in Chennai. The experience enabled us to do that. It was a big change but we had to get on with it,” Fleming explained.

Chennai rode on all-rounder Shane Watson’s scintillating 117-run unbeaten knock to hunt down the 179-run target against a team which boasted of the best bowling attack in the league.

Praising Watson, Fleming said: “We loved what Watson had done in the past and our discussion was of his future. We wanted him in a different way.”

“Opening the batting and bowling a few overs. He’s incredibly professional. He looked after himself and managed well,” the coach added.