Down goes another one – Mumbai Indians stumble again, now four straight losses deep into IPL 2026. Questions came fast and sharp at the post-match talk, aimed squarely at head coach Mahela Jayawardene. Punjab Kings didn’t just win; they painted a full picture of what control looks like in batting, bowling, running, deciding. Pressed on whether Hardik Pandya still holds grip amid growing noise from fans and critics alike, Jayawardene stepped in front of the fire. One question cut through the rest. His reply? This isn’t about single failures. Blame spreads wider, he said – across players, staff, even his own seat. The slump belongs to everyone.
“Well, I don’t think it’s just on Hardik; I think it’s on every one of us. When we’re not doing well, it’s not an individual; it’s pretty much on me, everyone who’s involved in the management and all that, to see how we can be better,” he said.
Still, Jayawardene stood by the squad, pointing out their solid play – yet rivals have performed at a higher level. Though the effort’s there, results haven’t followed.
“I know we’re playing good cricket; we’re not like taken out completely, but at the same time the other teams are much better, more clinical. Obviously, their confidence is high as well when they have that kind of start, so we just need to control phases that we can control. I think the onus is not just on one individual,” he asserted.
Winning their first match of IPL 2026 gave Mumbai Indians a rare bright start – something missing lately – but what followed was anything but steady. According to Jayawardene, success in upcoming games might just be the quiet push they need to find rhythm again.
“As a franchise, as a team, and as management, we need to do things better to get into some rhythm and then get a few wins under our belt; that will give us that confidence. Now away matches become even more important for us to see how we can control that,” said the former Sri Lanka captain.
When talking about the game with Punjab, Jayawardene mentioned aiming for 210 or maybe even 220, thanks to how De Kock opened things up. Still, toward the finish, progress slowed down.
Still, things slowed down near the close – their bowling tightened up just enough. Maybe reaching 210 or even 220 felt possible, given a few strong overs. Yet those didn’t come through. Falling short late, then starting so flat in the opening over, likely cost around twenty more. That early stumble made all the difference.
“So, these are areas that we’ve discussed. We needed to be sharper, and execution-wise it was quite poor; we have to take that and see how we can do better,” he said.
