Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said he would not try to sugar-coat the team’s problems after a heavy loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. MI were routed by 103 runs in a result that also marked their worst home defeat in franchise history. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Jayawardene acknowledged that the “reality” is MI have not done enough in the opening phase of the IPL 2026 campaign.
Jayawardene faced pointed questions from reporters after the match. MI had arrived buoyed by a morale-boosting win and were looking to build on that momentum, but CSK were able to dominate the contest after Sanju Samson produced an unbeaten century that completely changed the game’s direction.
“The reality is that with four points after seven matches, honestly, we haven’t played good cricket. It’s come in phases. We had a fantastic game in Ahmedabad, and I felt we found a bit of rhythm, but then we lost it again,” Jayawardene said.
“Probably, after a defeat like this, it becomes hard to even analyse it properly. We lost both powerplays—both with the bat and with the ball—and we couldn’t get ourselves into the match. But we do get a short break now, and it gives us time to sit down and think about what we need to do for the next seven games. We know what needs to be done, and we’ll make a plan and go in with our best effort,” he added.
Jayawardene zeroes in on MI’s bowling execution
For Jayawardene, the biggest area of concern has been MI’s bowling. He conceded that the attack has delivered only in short bursts, and pointed out that MI have conceded the most “big overs” this season. In his assessment, lapses during the overs that swing matches have repeatedly put the side on the back foot.
“If you look at the seven games, yes, there was a gap in our bowling. We brought in some fresh faces; Ahmedabad looked good, and I thought we bowled well in patches there too. But it comes down to execution and consistency. We are one of the teams that has conceded the highest number of overs where the damage is big—18-plus runs. When you give away 20-plus runs in an over, it makes it very difficult to claw back into the contest. Those are the areas we have to improve over the next seven matches,” said the former Sri Lanka captain.
Response on Hardik Pandya’s form
Jayawardene was also asked about Hardik Pandya’s performances. The MI skipper has struggled to make an impact with both bat and ball during the season, failing to take wickets regularly or score meaningful runs. Even so, Jayawardene said he did not want to place blame on any one player and instead stressed the need for collective improvements.
When questioned about Hardik’s underwhelming returns or whether the captaincy burden might be affecting him, Jayawardene replied: “Honestly, I don’t see it as a concern. He started well; in the first few games, he bowled really well. As I said, as a unit, we’ve struggled. It’s not just individuals, and I don’t want to single anyone out. As a team, we haven’t been consistent. Usually, we’re very strong as a unit, but we haven’t been picking up early wickets.”
“We haven’t managed to control things in away conditions and in similar situations. That’s an overall issue. If you look at the batting, we’ve been good, but there are also phases where we haven’t been consistent. It’s not one individual—everyone in the team has to improve,” he further said.
MI now have a five-day break before their next fixture, when they host Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on April 29.
