Core group quite valuable for MI, can’t just keep changing: Head coach Mahela Jayawardene
RAIPUR: Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes came to an end after a narrow two-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Sunday, marking the fourth time in the last six seasons — after 2021, 2022 and 2024 — that the five-time champions have failed to progress beyond the league stage. The loss, their eighth in 11 matches this season, left head coach Mahela Jayawardene disappointed as he admitted that MI had not done enough across the campaign. “It’s disappointing.
We’ve had our opportunities. We were not good enough,” Jayawardene said at the post-match press conference. “We were not consistent enough with the ball, with the bat.
That showed in the margins. We were probably two, three wins away from being in the same group of contenders to get into that playoff. ” He also brushed aside suggestions that frequent changes had hurt the team’s momentum, pointing instead to injuries and niggles that forced the management’s hand.
“I don’t think it was chopping and changing,” he said. “We had a lot of injuries, a lot of niggles, guys getting injured, not available. Those were mostly forced changes.
” Asked if it was worthwhile to keep backing some underperforming senior players, Mahela said, “They’re also trying to do their best. The commitment, the effort that they’re putting in is unbelievable. With Ro (Rohit Sharma) getting injured and coming back and batting the way he batted, it sums up.