4 min readApr 24, 2026 08:42 AM IST
The Mumbai Indians slumped to their fifth defeat in seven matches after losing to the Chennai Super Kings by 103 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The loss left them in eighth place on the points table with two wins in seven matches, and the prospects of making the Playoffs already hanging in the balance.
A major concern for the five-time champions has been the form of captain Hardik Pandya, who has made 97 runs and taken three wickets in six matches so far in IPL 2026.
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene, though, dismissed all worries of his form, adding that collectively, MI had not done so far in the tournament.
“I don’t think, to be honest. It is not a concern. He started well. In the first few games with the ball, he bowled really well. Overall, as a unit, we haven’t been consistent. But we haven’t picked up early wickets, we haven’t managed to control things in the way conditions and stuff like that, so that’s an overall thing. And if you look at it in batting as well, we’ve been good, but we have some patches that we haven’t been consistent, so it’s not one individual, it’s as a team, we all have to improve,” Jayawardene said in the post-match press conference.
Jayawardene felt that MI had lost their rhythm again after beating Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, admitting that they lost the match in the powerplay phase with both bat and ball.
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“I think reality is that 4 points after 7 games, honestly, we haven’t played good cricket. It’s been in patches; we’ve had a great game in Ahmedabad, but I thought, you know, we found some rhythm, but again, we lost that rhythm. Probably this game, once you lose a match like that, it’s difficult to even analyse it. But probably the two power plays where we lost both the power plays, on the ball and with the bat, we just couldn’t get to the game.”
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“But, like I said, it gives us, we got a little break now, it gives us some time to really sit down and think what we need to do in the next 7 matches, and we know exactly what we need to do, and we’ll plan and put our best foot out,” he said.
One of the talking points in the match against CSK was Shardul Thakur replacing Mitchell Santner as a concussion sub, despite what seemed like he had sustained a shoulder injury. The former Sri Lankan captain clarified the substitution, saying that he had gone for scans and not felt stable.
“I think he hit his head first, neck, obviously the shoulder as well. He went for a scan because once he got back he felt dizziness, so he was lying down. Yes, the ice was there for the shoulder, but he felt that he wasn’t stable. So we took him for a scan in that situation. So we requested, obviously it’s at the match referee’s and umpire’s discretion, so they allowed Shardul. Mitch will be disappointed that his batting power is matched to Shardul Thakur, but it is what it is. But hopefully it’s not too bad. Once he comes back, we’ll have a look at it,” he said.
MI next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on Wednesday.
