Latest news with #MahelaJayawardene
India.com
20 hours ago
- Sport
- India.com
Harbhajan Singh lambasts Mumbai Indians coaching staff for interfering in IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 vs PBKS, says 'Don't show desperetness'
Harbhajan Singh lambasts Mahela Jayawardene's actions during MI vs PBKS, IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 match. New Delhi: On June 2, in the second qualifier for the IPL in 2025, the Mumbai Indians lost to the Punjab Kings. Setting a tough target of 204 runs, the five-time champions could not win, so the Punjab Kings qualified for the final instead. Mumbai Indians' bowlers secured two early wickets, but were unable to curb Punjab Kings' aggressive scoring. Jasprit Bumrah, despite high expectations, had an ineffective performance, conceding 40 runs without taking a wicket. Mumbai Indians' difficulties in their second innings led to head coach Mahela Jayawardene taking a more active role, frequently providing on-field guidance to his players. Harbhajan Singh criticized Mumbai Indians' coaching staff after expressing disapproval of Jayawardene's behavior. 'Look at the Mumbai Indians dugout. When they were leaking runs, there was too much involvement from the outside,' said Harbhajan on his official YouTube channel. 'The coaches are telling a bowler like Jasprit 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 the player's spirit,' he added. Harbhajan Singh, a former Mumbai Indians captain, played for the team from 2008 to 2017. His final season with the franchise coincided with Jayawardene's tenure. Mumbai Indians (MI) showed significant improvement after a slow start to the IPL season, ultimately securing fourth place with eight wins from fourteen matches. Their victory over the Gujarat Titans in the eliminator secured a spot in the second qualifier, however, they were unable to advance to the final for the fifth consecutive year.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘We knew that was a danger': MI coach Mahela Jayawardene on PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer taking his time in the middle during Qualifier 2
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said that they knew that Shreyas Iyer (87*) taking his time in the middle was a sign of danger in the Qualifier 2 against the 5-time champions. Iyer started slow but ramped up his innings with a partnership with Nehal Wadhera, guiding Punjab Kings to a thrilling 5-wicket win over MI at Ahmedabad. They will now take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday in the summit clash with a new IPL winner guaranteed. 'He took his time. He knew they would a bit under pressure, so he was taking his time. We knew that was a danger. 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 said after the match. The former Sri Lanka player also said that his team had a good campaign after their dismal start to the season where they lost 4 of their first 5 matches. '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. 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,' he said. '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. 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 said about Qualifier 2.
India Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
PBKS vs MI: Mahela Jayawardene rues dropped chances after losing Qualifier 2
Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene was left ruing dropped chances following his team's loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). PBKS beat MI by five wickets as they successfully chased down the target of 204, riding on a remarkable innings from captain Shreyas Iyer of 87* (41).Iyer got involved in a game-changing partnership with Nehal Wadhera for the fifth wicket as the duo added 84 runs off 47 balls. MI had a great chance to end the partnership on just 22. However, Trent Boult ended up dropping Wadhera on 13 at fine leg, which ended up costing his team Punjab's clinical performance, Mahela Jayawardene was full of praise for the opposition as he said that they were solid while chasing. He also mentioned how grabbing on to dropped chances would've changed things around for them. 'Punjab Kings were solid, especially while chasing — and that's not easy. They executed really well. We made a few blunders, obviously, with those two dropped catches. But that's how the game goes. We had luck on our side in the previous match, so it balances out. Overall, it was a good game of cricket — and we came up short. It's as simple as that,' said Jayawardene in the post-match press the MI head coach revealed the reason behind under bowling Hardik Pandya, who gave away 19 runs from two overs and picked one I think he bowled two good overs, and we probably felt we had other options from that end. We tried Ashwani, who bowled well, and then brought in Bumrah to try and get a breakthrough. The game slipped away from us at that point. We felt our main bowlers could help us pick up wickets — that was really the only way back into the game. The last over was kept for him anyway, in case there was a chance. Sure, there could be a lot of 'ifs and buts,' but the truth is, we didn't play a perfect game — and we paid the price for it,' he Pandya and Mitchell Santner (0/15) bowled just two overs in the match while the rest of the seamers were taken to the cleaners by Punjab's batters. As a result, MI got knocked out of the tournament and continued their dismal record at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where they've won just one out of seven matches. On the other hand, Punjab qualified for the IPL final for just the second time in their history and after a whopping 11 years. Stay updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. Don't miss a moment!
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IPL 2025: Ahead of PBKS clash, what is MI's record in Qualifier 2?
Mumbai Indians take on Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad. (AP) Mumbai Indians (MI) are no strangers to high-pressure fixtures in the IPL playoffs, and their journey through Qualifier 2 has been a mix of triumphs and setbacks over the years. As they gear up for another shot at a place in the final, taking on Punjab Kings tonight at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, we take a quick glance at their past record in this knockout clash. The five-time champions played their first Qualifier 2 in 2011, where MI stumbled against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai, losing by 43 runs. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Two years later, in 2013, they bounced back, overcoming Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata with a confident four-wicket win, a victory that paved the way for their first-ever IPL title under Rohit Sharma. The most convincing win came in 2017, when MI crushed Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, chasing down the target with ease to win by six wickets. However, the most recent memory, in 2023 wasn't as pleasant. Up against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, MI were outplayed and suffered a 62-run loss — their heaviest defeat in Qualifier 2 history. With a 2-2 win-loss record in this stage of the IPL, the stakes are high once again. Will Mumbai extend their Qualifier 2 success, or will history repeat itself? Mahela Jayawardene on Rohit Sharma: 'You cannot replace the experience' With veterans like Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in their ranks , and momentum on their side, MI will hope to tilt the scales in their favour in 2025. In the wait lie Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with the final on June 3.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘When you have a winning culture…': Head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Mumbai Indians' ability to perform under high pressure
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said that the franchise's winning culture over the years helps them perform in high pressure situations. This was after MI defeated Gujarat Titans by 20 runs on Friday in what turned out to be a pretty close-run affair. 'Well, when you have a winning culture, it is easier to try and have that same thing going through. Even when you get a new group, we still have a very experienced co-group within our ranks. So, the conversations that we have, planning and everything is about, how can we get better, how can we push through,' he said after the match. 'That winning mentality itself comes through from those senior players and having that experience, guys who have won trophies does help and my job is to try and cultivate that for the new guys who are coming into the spot. After the big auction, we had quite a few new faces, but I think telling them about the history of Mumbai and how we go, how we operate and have that attitude that we will never die from a situation, we will always fight through. So, I think that is shown today,' he added. Jayawardene also singled out Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma for praise after their respective contributions in the Eliminator. There are definitely no concerns when he comes back because the reputation itself carries through and he was quite confident. He had bowled few sessions, he was nailing those yorkers and all that. He is a massive asset for us, the experience that he carries through to the team and the situation that he has been bowling for us as well. It is great to have him around the group, the experience that he brings, talking to Ashwini (left-arm pacer) in that last over (of the match),' he said on Bumrah. On Rohit, the coach said, 'Rohit was brilliant. He let Johnny take control initially and then when he knew it was his time and the bowler then he picked and he got into a brilliant tempo. The pressure that he put on the two spinners, especially Sai and Rashid in that situation was absolutely brilliant and that is what Rohit does. Big games he does have a different gear that he plays. That is what experience does and he cannot replace that.'
