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Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene talked about a number of issues plaguing the team that have now led them to finish in the bottom two in the IPL 2026 points table.
He also highlighted the reasons for the poor form of Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav.
With just 4 wins from 13 matches, MI are currently placed ninth in the IPL 2026 points table. They are already out of the playoff race in the tournament, and their only chance now is to play party-pooper.
“Injuries have affected us this year” – Mahela Jayawardene
Ahead of MI’s match against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on Sunday, Jayawardene spoke to reporters at the pre-match press conference.
When Jayawardene was asked what the team would focus on next year, he said that the team’s failures are not the responsibility of any one person. He also said that the core group could not unite, due to which their performance was poor.
“It is everyone’s responsibility. We have a core group. Injuries have affected us this year. We had some good conversations within the group, but we weren’t able to come together. It’s something to reflect on after the season,” he said.
Mumbai Indians have faced injury problems this year. A toe injury which later escalated to a hamstring, kept Rohit Sharma out for almost half the season. Captain Hardik Pandya also could not play two matches due to back spasms.
Will Jacks was a late addition to the team, while Mitchell Santner was dropped midway through the tournament. Although it doesn’t matter now, Quinton de Kock and Raj Angad Bawa have also been dropped.
Jayawardene himself had already revealed that Jasprit Bumrah was playing despite the problem.
“It was a group conversation”- Jayawardene on Bumrah
When Jayawardene was asked what kind of discussions took place within the team before the decision was taken to allow Bumrah to play despite the injury, Jayawardene said that everyone was involved in the talks.
He also said that Bumrah is a bowler who will bounce back after the current bad season.
“It was a group conversation with Bumrah and the training staff. It was a good conversation. We all learn from seasons like this. During these six to eight weeks, he worked hard to get back to where he needs to be,” he said. In IPL 2026, Jasprit Bumrah has taken just 4 wickets in 13 matches at a bowling average of 102.5 and an economy rate of 8.36.
Suryakumar Yadav is going through difficult times – Mahela Jayawardene
On Suryakumar Yadav’s failures, Jayawardene said the Indian T20I captain was a class act and was just going through a tough phase. Jayawardene described him as ‘naturally talented’ and said that sometimes a player’s confidence wavers.
He concluded, “Suryakumar Yadav is a naturally talented player. At the moment, it’s a combination of confidence and just going through a phase. It happens in cricket.”
Suryakumar Yadav’s IPL 2026 has been the complete opposite of his IPL 2025. Last year, Suryakumar Yadav had scored more than 700 runs in 16 matches. This year he has scored only 210 runs in 12 matches at an average of 17.50 and a strike rate of around 149.
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