Recently, Stephen Fleming announced his decision to step down as coach of Hundred’s Southern Brave men’s team, citing personal reasons.

Although Fleming’s reasoning for giving up the role is pretty simple, there could be more at play than meets the eye.

Following his decision, Fleming said: “I loved my time at Southern Brave, working at the Hundred and working with a great group of people at Utilita Bowl. We came close to winning a couple of times, so it’s hard to give up, but for family reasons I need to be able to spend more time at home this season. I wish everyone at Southern Brave the best for 2025.”

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Did Stephen Fleming resign as Southern Brave coach because of Delhi Capitals?

By deciding to step down, the former New Zealand cricketer now avoids a conflict of interest situation where he would coach a team partially owned by a rival IPL franchise, given his long-term association with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). For the uninitiated, Hampshire was acquired by GMR Group, co-owner of Delhi Capitals last year and is expected to become Southern Brave’s largest shareholder this year.

Notably, Stephen Fleming has coached CSK since 2009 and has also taken charge of its affiliate franchises in Major League Cricket (Texas Super Kings) and SA20 (Joburg Super Kings), where he is currently based.

Elsewhere, Fleming will now be replaced by Adi Birrell at Southern Brave, who will take the Kiwi coaching reins. Birrell has recently had success in franchise cricket, guiding Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) to back-to-back victories in the SA20 championship.

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