Former Blackcaps captain Stephen Fleming can't hide his delight at the success of compatriot Brendon McCullum, after the two faced off as rival coaches in the Indian Premier League final.
Fleming's Chennai Super Kings defeated McCullum's Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs at Dubai for his fourth IPL title as coach.
While the Super Kings were always expected to contend for the IPL title, after missing the playoffs only once since 2009 under the Kiwi's stewardship - Kolkata defied all logic to reach the decider.
When the IPL was suspended in May, McCullum's side had won just two of seven matches and languished towards the bottom of the ladder.
As the season moved from India to the UAE, McCullum's side won five of their final seven regular season matches, then two playoff games to meet Chennai in the final.
The Knight Riders reached this year's final, after narrowly missing out the playoffs on net run rate during his first season in 2020.
After linking with the Blackcaps' T20 World Cup preparations in the UAE, Fleming says he's delighted to see his former teammate succeed in such a high profile role.
"There was a lot of pride," claims Fleming. "They had a tough start to the tournament, he did it his way the second half [of the season] and they got some success.
"I was pretty rapt for that, to see a good mate doing well.
"[I'm] obviously pleased to have beaten them... but they went on a hell of a run. It was a great result for him and an even better one for us."
Fleming will help the Blackcaps prepare for the World Cup this week, as he waits for the chance to return home to New Zealand and managed isolation.
Join Newshub on October 27 for live updates of the Blackcaps v Pakistan T20 World Cup clash.
