Five-time champions Mumbai Indians were left searching for answers after a crushing 103-run defeat to Chennai Super Kings, and head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted the team has not been good enough this season.
“I think the reality is that with four points after seven games, honestly, we haven’t played good cricket. It’s been in patches,” Jayawardene said after the match. “We had a great game in Ahmedabad where I thought we found some rhythm, but again, we lost it.”
The coach conceded the game was effectively lost in the early stages, with MI failing in both power plays. “Once you lose a match like that, it’s difficult to even analyse it. We lost both powerplays, with the ball and with the bat, and we just couldn’t get into the game,” he said. “We’ve got a little break now… we know exactly what is required, and we’ll plan and put our best foot forward.”
Jayawardene pointed out that bowling inconsistency has been a major issue, particularly the number of expensive overs conceded. “If you analyse the seven games, yes, there was a hole in our bowling. It’s just execution and consistency,” he said. “We are one of the teams that has conceded the highest number of big overs, 18-plus runs. When you give away 20-plus runs in an over, it puts us in a very bad position to even claw back into a game.”
Despite questions around captain Hardik Pandya’s form, Jayawardene avoided blaming individuals and stressed the need for a collective turnaround. “To be honest, I don’t think it’s a concern. He started well; in the first few games, he bowled really well,” he said. “As a unit, we’ve struggled. It’s not just individuals, and I don’t want to name names.”
“As a team, we haven’t been consistent. Usually, we are very good as a unit, but we haven’t picked up early wickets,” he added. “If you look at the batting as well, we have been good, but there have been patches where we haven’t been consistent. It’s not one individual; as a team, we all have to improve.”
Mumbai Indians now head into a short break before their next Indian Premier League fixture, needing a strong response to revive their campaign.
