mumbai: Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has dismissed suggestions of “politics” behind the team’s selection decisions after their elimination from the IPL 2026 playoffs race, stating that trust in senior players and injury concerns shaped the season.
The five-time champions bowed out of contention following a narrow last-ball defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday. Despite posting a competitive 166/7 on a challenging surface, MI failed to defend the total, underlining what has been an inconsistent campaign.
Jayawardene, addressing the media after the match, admitted the season had been disappointing but refrained from placing blame on individual players or decisions.
Inconsistent performances cost MI
Reflecting on the campaign, Jayawardene said MI fell short in both batting and bowling departments at crucial moments. He noted that the team was only a few wins away from staying in contention but lacked the consistency required at this level.
“The season is disappointing. We’ve had our opportunities, but we were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball or the bat, and that showed in the margins,” he said.
He added that the team needed time to analyse the reasons behind their struggles. “It’s difficult to sum up a season right now. We need to reflect and figure out exactly what went wrong,” he said.
Senior India players, including Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, failed to deliver consistently, while Tilak Varma showed only flashes of form. The lack of sustained contributions from key players played a major role in MI’s early exit.
Injuries forced frequent changes
Addressing criticism over frequent changes to the playing XI, Jayawardene clarified that most decisions were not tactical but forced due to injuries and fitness issues within the squad.
“It wasn’t really chopping and changing. We had a lot of injuries and niggles. Players were unavailable at different points, and those were mostly forced changes,” he explained.
He emphasised that the team would have preferred to stick with a settled core but circumstances made it difficult. Despite these challenges, Jayawardene maintained that the squad had enough quality to perform better.
“I would have loved to have our main core consistently available. But there are no excuses—we had a quality squad, and we were not good enough overall,” he added.
No ‘politics’ in selection calls
One of the key talking points during the season was the continued backing of underperforming senior players, particularly vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav, who managed just 195 runs in 11 matches.
With captain Hardik Pandya missing the crucial game due to a back spasm, questions were raised about whether team selection had been influenced by internal dynamics or “politics”.
Jayawardene firmly rejected the notion, asserting that the management’s decisions were based on trust and the players’ proven track record.
“I don’t think it was a political decision. When you know the quality of players, you trust them. They are trying their best, and their commitment is unbelievable,” he said.
He pointed out that the core group had recently delivered strong performances at the international level, including a successful World Cup campaign, and deserved continued backing.
“The core group is very valuable for us. You can’t just keep changing players based on short-term results. We backed them because of the confidence we have in their ability,” Jayawardene added.
Focus shifts to rebuilding
With MI now out of the playoff race, the focus is expected to shift towards evaluating performances and planning for the next season. Jayawardene indicated that the team would take lessons from this campaign and aim to come back stronger.
He reiterated that while injuries played a part, the responsibility ultimately lies with the team to perform better across departments.
“As a unit, we haven’t been good enough. That’s something we need to accept and improve on,” he concluded.
MI’s early exit marks a rare setback for one of the IPL’s most successful franchises, highlighting the need for introspection and potential changes ahead of the next edition.
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