Head coach Mahela Jayawardene candidly assessed Mumbai Indians’ (MI) performance in IPL 2025, pointing to fielding “blunders” and an uncharacteristically poor display of bowling execution as key reasons for their exit. Their campaign ended after losing to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by five wickets in Qualifier 2, a game that extended late into Monday.
Reflecting on MI’s journey, Jayawardene shared, “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 some opportunities getting to the playoffs. Kings, especially with the bat, were solid in chasing 200. It’s not that easy, they executed that pretty well.”
Mumbai initially set a considerable target of 203 for 6, but were unable to thwart a tight chase spearheaded by PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer, who remained unbeaten on 87. MI had relied heavily on employing slower deliveries and yorkers, strategies that served them well throughout the season. Unfortunately, their plans misfired at pivotal moments in the match.
By the midpoint, MI seemed in a strong position, with PBKS needing 106 from the final 60 balls. At this juncture, ESPNcricinfo’s win predictor favoured MI at 61%. However, a crucial 84-run partnership between Iyer and Nehal Wadhera across 47 deliveries swung the balance in favour of PBKS. Jayawardene noted, “In phases, they batted well. [But] we just couldn’t control that after the tenth over.”
The decision not to complete the bowling quotas of some of their premier bowlers, such as Hardik Pandya and Mitchell Santner, was questioned by analysts Varun Aaron and Tom Moody. Reflecting on peer criticism, Jayawardene acknowledged the lapse in their plans: “Even we bowled pretty good yorkers throughout the campaign, and we just couldn’t get those yorkers going as well [today].”
Analysing what MI might have done differently, Varun Aaron suggested a more considered use of the pitch and ground dimensions could have helped them regain control. “Definitely not bowl the length they bowled tonight,” he noted on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “They bowled too full. I definitely think they could have gone short and slow on this wicket.”
Despite the setback, Jayawardene emphasised that such execution errors are part of the game and expressed hope that MI would learn and come back stronger.
