Latest news with #Jayawardene
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
"We probably left a bit of runs on the park...": MI coach Jayawardene after loss to PBKS in Q2
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 2 (ANI): Following his side's loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Qualifier two and their consequent elimination, Mumbai Indians (MI) coach Mahela Jayawardene expressed happiness with his team's campaign and added that a few mistakes cost them. Five-time champions MI ended their IPL campaign with a crushing loss to PBKS by five wickets at Ahmedabad on Sunday night, booking a title clash between PBKS and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Speaking after the match in the presser, Jayawardene spoke on the mistakes which cost their side a chance at the record-breaking sixth title. 'I think we probably left a bit of runs on the park with the bat and we lost our way. Those back-to-back wickets probably slowed us down a little bit, but I still thought 200 was a good score in a qualifier,' said Jayawardene as quoted by MI's official website. 'The pressure picked up after those wickets as well up front (of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma), and I think a few mistakes cost us. The execution was not up to what our standard is,' MJ stated. Jayawardene said that the wicket played well in both innings and credited his team for starting off well and staying positive despite the rain delaying the action. 'We put them under pressure and had two good top-order partnerships. We were going at 140 at one stage scoring 10 runs an over and, then those two back-to-back wickets probably slowed us down a little bit. I thought 200 was a decent score on this wicket on this ground. It's just that we did not execute well.' said the coach. On an up and down campaign, which saw the team bounce back from one win in first four games to register a six-match unbeaten streak to qualify for playoffs and beat Gujarat Titans (GT) in a high-scoring eliminator, he said, 'I think it was a good campaign for us... the way we started and how we regrouped as a team and played some really good cricket is commendable. 'We had our opportunities, getting to the playoffs and we had a few good games first up. And even today, I thought we played some good cricket except for [Punjab] Kings playing better cricket than us. They executed that pretty well,' he concluded. PBKS won the toss and opted to bowl first. After losing Rohit Sharma early, a 51-run stand between Jonny Bairstow (38 in 24 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (44 in 29 balls, with two fours and two sixes) pushed MI forward. A 72-run partnership for the third wicket between Tilak and Suryakumar Yadav (44 in 26 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) helped MI keep a healthy run rate. All MI needed was a final push from Naman Dhir (37 in 18 balls, with seven fours) to take MI to 203/6 in 20 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai (2/43) was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. Kyle Jamieson, Marcus Stoinis, Yuzi Chahal and Vijaykumar Vyshak took a wicket each. In the run chase, PBKS had some stumbles initially despite a blitz from Josh Inglis (38 in 21 balls, with five fours and a six), who took down Jasprit Bumrah for 20 runs in an over. An 84-run stand between Nehal Wadhera (48 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and skipper Shreyas Iyer helped PBKS maintain the required tempo for the chase. After quick dismissals of Wadhera and Shashank reduced PBKS to 169/5 in 16.4 overs, a ruthless Shreyas (87* in 41 balls, with five fours and eight sixes) took down pace to guide his team to five wicket win with an over left. Ashwani Kumar (2/55) was the top bowler for MI. Trent Boult (1/38) and Hardik Pandya (1/19) took one wicket each. Bumrah was wicketless for 40 runs in four overs. Iyer was given the 'Player of the Match' honour for his clutch knock. The final between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru is set for Tuesday at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. (ANI)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
"We just couldn't do that': MI coach Mahela Jayawardene lists reason for defeat to PBKS
Mumbai Indians head coach acknowledged that fielding errors and poor bowling execution led to their elimination from IPL 2025 after losing to Punjab Kings by five wickets in Qualifier 2 on Sunday night. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Despite posting a competitive total of 203 for 6, Mumbai Indians couldn't prevent Punjab Kings from successfully chasing down the target, majorly owed to captain Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 87. Stretching past midnight, the match saw Mumbai Indians fail in their pursuit of a record sixth IPL title. Reacting to the defeat, Jayawardene started out by listing positives despite falling short of the prize. "It was a good campaign for us, the way we started and how we regrouped as a team and played some really, really good cricket," Jayawardene said in the post-match press conference. "We had our opportunities getting to the playoffs, and we had a really good game first half and even today, I thought we played some good cricket except for Kings playing better cricket than us. Especially with the bat, they were solid, especially chasing 200. It's not that easy, they executed that pretty well." Jayawardene highlighted two dropped catches as crucial moments in the game, though he acknowledged that fortune had favoured them in previous matches. "We made a few blunders obviously with those two catches but I think that's how the game goes, we had those luck going our way in the previous games. It was a good game of cricket and we came short, I think that's as simple as that," he explained. IPL 2025 Winner Prediction: What Greenstone Lobo's Astrology says The match turned decisively in Punjab Kings' favor after the tenth over, with 106 runs needed from 60 balls. While MI appeared to be on the front foot, an 84-run partnership between Iyer and Nehal Wadhera off 47 balls proved decisive. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "In phases, they batted well," Jayawardene said. "We also came back and took the wickets and were in it, which is that middle phase, we just couldn't control that after the tenth over. Those four-five overs, we just couldn't keep the pressure going, and that's where especially Nehal and Shreyas, their partnership probably took the game away from us." The Mumbai Indians' strategy of taking pace off the ball and bowling yorkers, which had served them well throughout the season, failed to yield results in this crucial match. 'I don't want to be a one-season wonder': Punjab Kings' Shashank Singh "We also took some pace off, but like I said earlier, our execution wasn't up to the mark, we have to take that [blame]. Even we bowled pretty good yorkers throughout the campaign and we just couldn't get those yorkers going as well [today]," Jayawardene admitted. "So it's just execution and that can happen and they put us under pressure as well, so when they hit those vital blows in that middle phase, especially those sixes, that's something that we need to stop in this kind of situation, but we just couldn't do that. " With the result, PBKS will play Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. PBKS will aim to put an end to their trophy drought in the competition, while RCB too, are yet to win a trophy in its history.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Malinga, Jayawardene accused of 'breaking the spirit' of MI players: 'They're telling a bowler like Bumrah what to do'
Lasith Malinga and Mahela Jayawardene have come under fire for their excessive involvement in the match from the dugout during the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. In a high-scoring match, PBKS gunned down MI's total of 203 by 7 wickets, riding on captain Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 87, to book themselves a place in the final, where the 2014 finalists will meet the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, as the IPL 2025 is guaranteed to have a new champion, one couldn't help but feel for MI, the five-time champions, going for a sixth. Plenty of reasons led to their defeat, including one that Harbhajan Singh feels was highly detrimental to their chances. The former India spinner took exception to the excessive passing of instructions from head coach Jayawardene and bowling coach Malinga as MI looked to control the innings against PBKS. "Look at the Mumbai Indians dugout. When they were leaking runs, there was way too much involvement from the outside. Coaches are telling a bowler like Bumrah what to do and what not. A dressing room needs to remain calm and composed. Coaches should only give advice. Don't show desperation. So somewhere I felt that when this happens way too much, it breaks their spirit," Harbhajan, a former MI cricketer himself, said on his YouTube channel. Also Read: Mahela Jayawardene's non-stop signals from boundary line amuse Jasprit Bumrah; pacer turns to Rohit Sharma for answers While Malinga too had his moments in the dugout, talking to players on a regular basis, Jayawardene, in particular, cut a highly animated figure every time MI seemed to come under even a little bit of pressure. During the previous match – the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans too – a video of Jayawardene trying to talk to Bumrah went viral – a set of instructions which the MI pacer ignored and asked the coach to calm down. Harbhajan reminded Jayawardene that these are proven performers who have won the IPL several times before, and that sometimes, perhaps, it's not that bad an idea to just sit and execute your plans in the dugout rather than constantly being at the players' ears. "Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, these are big players. And when they are playing, let them do what they need to do to get the right result for the team. They have won many trophies together. They needed to be shown a lot more faith, but the coaching staff time and again were interfering and gesturing with their hands," added Harbhajan.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Coach Mahela Jayawardene Names The "Danger" Which Costed MI IPL 2025 Final Spot
Mumbai Indians knew Shreyas Iyer giving himself time in the middle to bat long was a sign of 'danger', said head coach Mahela Jayawardene after his side failed to execute in the knockout clash against Punjab Kings. Iyer struck as many as eight sixes and five fours to make 87 not out from only 41 balls to power Punjab Kings into the IPL final for the first time in 11 years. 'He took his time. He knew they would a bit under pressure, so he was taking his time. We knew that was a danger,' Jayawardene told the media after the after wicket loss on Sunday night. 'As long as we didn't give him that partnership with Nehal (Wadhera), we would have been able to squeeze through because he would have had to go (out to attack) early, not wait that long.' 'He got Nehal to do the bulk of the work at that point, so that shows the experience, and he knew he had to take the game deep and he did. We were trying those options with the wickets, but it just didn't work for us today,' Jayawardene added. A former Mumbai Indians player, Wadhera (48 off 29 balls) consolidated for Punjab Kings with a robust 84-run stand for the fourth wicket to turn the tables with Iyer at the helm, while also making the most of two lifelines he got in form of dropped catches. Jayawardene said MI had a good campaign after a poor start to this season. 'It was a good campaign for us, the way we started, and how we regrouped as a team and had played some really, really good cricket,' he said. 'We had our opportunities getting to the playoffs and we had a really good game first up (Eliminator) and even today I thought we played some good cricket, except for Kings playing better cricket than us, especially with the bat." Jayawardene heaped praise on their batting mainstay Suryakumar Yadav who showed remarkable consistency throughout the tournament to finish with 717 runs. His tally marked the first time any MI batter scored 700 of more runs in an IPL season. 'Sky has been brilliant, very consistent,' Jayawardene said. 'Reading the game, especially in those situations. He was very, very good in many different conditions as well, that's where quality of the player stands out." 'For him to be that consistent in playing in different surfaces, different bowling attacks, shows what a quality T20 batsman he is, especially a lot of the times it took the spinners down pretty well and that role was pretty crucial for us,' he added. The head coach's assessed that MI did not get as many runs as they could probably have got which was also among the reasons for their defeat. 'We probably left a bit of runs on the park as well with the bat. We lost our way after having that start. It was (losing) back to back wickets probably (which) slowed us down a little bit,' he said. 'But I thought 200 was still a good score in a qualifier… the pressure. We picked up those wickets as well up front and a few mistakes cost us the game and the bowling also, the execution wasn't up to the standards as well,' he added.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Mahela Jayawardene's non-stop signals from boundary line amuse Jasprit Bumrah; pacer turns to Rohit Sharma for answers
The Mumbai Indians are out of IPL 2025. No fairytale finish, no sixth title. Despite their stunning comeback in the second half of the season, MI came up a little bit short, as a loss to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 ended their journey. Hardik Pandya was crestfallen, owner Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani heartbroken, and while one should take nothing away from their resilient recovery to make it to the Playoffs, the fact remains they were outplayed by a better team. A much better team. What could have let the Mumbai Indians down? Was it Trent Boult's dropped catch of Nehal Wadhera? Or the fact that they didn't put enough runs on the board? Or… there's a third – because Hardik Pandya's captaincy was not up to the mark? Well, if the internet is to be believed, the reason was Hardik. Throughout the season, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has been as involved from the dugout as a captain is. And last night in Ahmedabad was no different. An animated Jayawardene was constantly sending out instructions to Hardik about field placements, strategies and whatnot. However, in the end, all that it resulted in were dull faces in the dugout, as MI's hopes of lifting a record sixth IPL title went up in smoke. Jayawardene was ignored by Bumrah in MI's previous contest – the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans – but that did not stop the head coach from being at his animated best. During the 16th over of the Punjab Kings' innings, Jayawardene's constant signalling triggered varied emotions among those present near him. Batting coach Kieron Pollard couldn't help but smile at Jayawardene's act, while Bumrah, who was fielding near the boundary, looked visibly amused. In all likelihood, Jayawardene was instructing Hardik, but perhaps the MI skipper didn't agree or listen. The incident turned borderline funny as Bumrah was forced to break into a smile. He then immediately turned to Rohit, who was sitting in the dugout, in search of answers. Watch the clip below: Not getting over the line stings, but MI could be proud of their overall campaign. Their start was once again lukewarm, losing five out of their first six matches. But just when a repeat of the previous season looked likely, MI did what only MI does. BOUNCE BACK. With six wins on the bounce and a few more, they qualified for the Playoffs when not many gave them a chance. They could have had the better of PBKS, only for a few plans to fall off the clip. "There could have been a lot of ifs and buts, but I think we didn't play a perfect game and we paid for it," Jayawardene said. "It was a good campaign for us, the way we started and how we regrouped as a team and played some really, really good cricket. We had our opportunities getting to the playoffs, and we had a really good game first up. Even today, I thought we played some good cricket, except for Kings playing better cricket than us, especially with the bat," Jayawardene said after the match. Jasprit Bumrah endured a rare off-day, getting taken for 40 runs, a factor that clearly hurt the five-time champions. But Jayawardene wasn't too tough on his bowlers, indicating that the job to get wickets wasn't Bumrah's alone. Besides, the coach also credited Punjab for the stunning cricket they played. "I thought the others, like especially Ashwini bowled really well today. Mitch [Santner] bowled well, and then Hardik as well. So it wasn't just about Bumrah. He was trying to get those wickets up from and especially the PowerPlay. Josh [Inglis] batted well. Overs 3-4, executed well, and it was a battle between that. Either you might get a wicket or them taking that advantage, and they took the advantage," added Jayawardene. "In phases, they batted well. We also came back and took the wickets and were in it. It's just that middle phase, we just couldn't control that after the 10th over, those 4-5 overs, we just couldn't keep the pressure going and that's where especially Nehal and Shreyas, their partnership probably took the game away from us."
