Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene spoke openly on the criticism facing captain Hardik Pandya after the huge defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home. Jayawardene refused to rule out any players and said the team’s struggles are due to collective failures in the IPL 2026 season.
The Hardik Pandya-led side suffered a 103-run defeat to Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 23. The captain could score only one run from two balls and gave 38 runs in two overs without taking any wicket. Mumbai Indians have only four points after seven league matches.
Mahela Jayawardene defends Hardik Pandya after Mumbai Indians’ huge defeat
During the post-match press conference, Mahela Jayawardene was asked about Hardik Pandya’s poor performance. The Mumbai Indians head coach defended his captain, saying that the leadership responsibilities are not negatively impacting his overall performance.
“To be honest, I don’t think it’s a concern. They started well; in the first few games, they bowled really well. Like I said, as a unit, we have struggled. It’s not just a matter of individuals, and I don’t want to take names. As a team, we haven’t been consistent. Generally, we’ve been very good as a unit, but we haven’t taken early wickets.” Jayawardene replied.
Hardik’s performance against Chennai Super Kings was disappointing. The Mumbai Indians captain was out early, caught by Mukesh Chaudhary at short third man while attempting an aggressive shot against Noor Ahmed. After this he did not bowl and gave 38 runs in his first two overs.
Mahela Jayawardene accepts bitter truth after humiliating defeat at home
Mahela Jayawardene also acknowledged his poor start to the season. The Mumbai Indians head coach admitted that their biggest ever defeat on home ground raises questions before they face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on April 29.
Jayawardene said, “I think the reality is that with four points after seven matches, to be honest, we have not played good cricket. It has been in bits and pieces. We had a great game in Ahmedabad, where I thought we got some momentum, but again, we lost it.”
He said, “Maybe in this game, once you lose a match like this, it is difficult to even analyze. We lost both the ball and the bat in the powerplay, and we could not get into the game. But as I said, we have got a bit of a break now; it gives us some time to really sit and think about what we need to do for the next seven matches. We know exactly what is required, and we will plan and perform our best.”
There was a hole in our bowling – Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene said that the bowling unit was the biggest concern of the team. The Mumbai Indians head coach said that they have been giving away too many expensive overs, which has put the team under constant pressure during crucial stages of the matches in the IPL 2026 season.
“If you analyze the seven matches, yes, our bowling was lacking a bit. We brought in some new faces; Ahmedabad looked good, and I thought we bowled well in patches here too. It’s just execution and consistency. We are one of the teams that have given away the most big overs, more than 18 runs. When you give away more than 20 runs an over, it puts us in a very bad position to get back into the game. These are the areas we need to improve.” The next seven matches,” said the former Sri Lankan captain.
He further added, “We have not been able to control things in overseas conditions and similar situations. It is an overall issue. If you look at the batting also, we have been good, but there have been some occasions where we have not been able to perform consistently. It is not a matter of one person; as a team we all have to improve.”
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