Why did coach Jayawardene’s head rise, he gave statements ranging from Suryakumar to Tilak?
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After playing 9 matches so far in the Indian Premier League 2026 and losing 7 matches, the Mumbai Indians team is almost out of the race for the playoffs. After the defeat against Chennai Super Kings, the team’s head coach Mahela Jayawardene defended the flop of the senior players. He answered the question regarding Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav.
Mumbai head coach Mahela Jayawardene defends senior players after their poor performance
New Delhi. Mumbai Indians includes the best players in the world but their performance in the Indian Premier League 2026 was nothing special. The team is at 8th position in the points table after losing 7 out of 9 matches. Mumbai had to face defeat against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday. After this a debate broke out on social media. Fans want to know why the franchise is not able to get the best performance from its top players like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma. After the match, head coach Mahela Jayawardene answered these questions in the press conference.
This season, Bumrah has taken only three wickets in nine matches for Mumbai. Suryakumar’s average is 20 runs and Tilak Verma is scoring around 24 runs in every match. Despite these three players, Mumbai’s campaign so far has been very poor and the team is almost out of the race for the playoffs. Jayawardene is refusing to put the blame on his top players. He says that a player like Suryakumar just needs a few confident innings to return to form.
He said, “I don’t think his output has reduced. If he gets some good innings, he will be back in rhythm. Even today, he batted brilliantly in that phase and put pressure on the bowlers. If he had lasted a few more overs, he could have scored a big score. Sometimes when things are not in your favor, everything does not go well. Even today, he played a good shot but it went straight into the hands of the fielder. He is fully prepared, mentally also in a good state, just this season.” I have been caught on the boundary many times, it is just a matter of time but I think he will have to work harder.
Regarding Tilak Verma, Jayawardene said that he is still learning how to advance his batting in the T20 format. There are definitely concerns about his way of playing in different conditions, but the Sri Lankan legend believes that everything will be fine with experience. Jayawardene said, “Tilak Verma is also still learning and he has to play different roles. T20 cricket is not that easy. The more he plays in different conditions, the more he will understand what he has to do… handling the situation, being a little proactive in thinking what we have to do in those situations, all this he will learn.”
Mumbai’s biggest problem this season has been bowling. Bumrah not taking wickets has also been harmful for the team. According to Jayawardene, this is not just a problem of Bumrah but of the entire bowling unit. He said, “It is not just about Bumrah, it is the collective responsibility of all the bowlers. When everyone takes wickets together, Bumrah can also be more aggressive, he does not have to just stop the runs. Everyone has slow seasons sometimes, but the class is always there.”
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Viplav Kumar is working with News18 since 2022. The special responsibility of ensuring that the day starts well for the readers rests on their shoulders. Coming to the morning shift, from the interesting incident that happened the previous day to the activities going on throughout the day…read more
