Mahela Jayawardene's constant instructions triggered various reactions and emotions near the Mumbai Indians dugout.
The Mumbai Indians are out of IPL 2025. No fairytale finish, no sixth title. Despite their stunning comeback in the second half of the season, MI came up a little bit short, as a loss to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 ended their journey. Hardik Pandya was crestfallen, owner Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani heartbroken, and while one should take nothing away from their resilient recovery to make it to the Playoffs, the fact remains they were outplayed by a better team. A much better team.
What could have let the Mumbai Indians down? Was it Trent Boult's dropped catch of Nehal Wadhera? Or the fact that they didn't put enough runs on the board? Or… there's a third – because Hardik Pandya's captaincy was not up to the mark? Well, if the internet is to be believed, the reason was Hardik. Throughout the season, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has been as involved from the dugout as a captain is. And last night in Ahmedabad was no different. An animated Jayawardene was constantly sending out instructions to Hardik about field placements, strategies and whatnot. However, in the end, all that it resulted in were dull faces in the dugout, as MI's hopes of lifting a record sixth IPL title went up in smoke.
Jayawardene was ignored by Bumrah in MI's previous contest – the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans – but that did not stop the head coach from being at his animated best. During the 16th over of the Punjab Kings' innings, Jayawardene's constant signalling triggered varied emotions among those present near him. Batting coach Kieron Pollard couldn't help but smile at Jayawardene's act, while Bumrah, who was fielding near the boundary, looked visibly amused. In all likelihood, Jayawardene was instructing Hardik, but perhaps the MI skipper didn’t agree or listen. The incident turned borderline funny as Bumrah was forced to break into a smile. He then immediately turned to Rohit, who was sitting in the dugout, in search of answers.
Not getting over the line stings, but MI could be proud of their overall campaign. Their start was once again lukewarm, losing five out of their first six matches. But just when a repeat of the previous season looked likely, MI did what only MI does. BOUNCE BACK. With six wins on the bounce and a few more, they qualified for the Playoffs when not many gave them a chance. They could have had the better of PBKS, only for a few plans to fall off the clip.
"There could have been a lot of ifs and buts, but I think we didn't play a perfect game and we paid for it," Jayawardene said. "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 our opportunities getting to the playoffs, and we had a really good game first up. Even today, I thought we played some good cricket, except for Kings playing better cricket than us, especially with the bat," Jayawardene said after the match.
Jasprit Bumrah endured a rare off-day, getting taken for 40 runs, a factor that clearly hurt the five-time champions. But Jayawardene wasn't too tough on his bowlers, indicating that the job to get wickets wasn't Bumrah's alone. Besides, the coach also credited Punjab for the stunning cricket they played.
