IPL 2026: MI coach Mahela Jayawardene defends Bumrah, other players amid repeated failures: ‘When things are not going…’

Mumbai Indians' IPL 2026 campaign went from bad to worse on Saturday following an eight-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk. The defeat has left them reeling in ninth place with just four points from nine matches as they stare at a league stage exit.

This has been an underwhelming season for Mumbai Indians, so much so that even their top stars like Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav have often failed to fire.

Jasprit Bumrah has taken just three wickets in nine matches, whereas Suryakumar Yadav has scored 183 runs from nine matches at an underwhelming average of 20.33.

Tilak Varma has scored just 193 runs from nine matches at an average of 24.12. Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has continued to defend his team's top players despite repeated failures.

"Sometimes when things are not going your way it doesn't fall in place; I think it was a pretty good shot went straight to the fielder.

"He's definitely up for it, I think he's in a good space, it just that hasn't worked like the amount of times he's got caught on the boundary this season with some of those shots. It's just a matter of time but I think he himself is disappointed but just have to keep on working harder," he explained.

As for Tilak Varma, Jayawardene feels that he is still in the learning phase. "Tilak Varma is also still learning and playing different roles that he's been asked to play. T20 cricket is not that easy, I think the more he plays different situations he'll understand what he needs to do... handling situations, being bit more proactive in thinking what we need to do in those situations is something he'll find," he said.

Jasprit Bumrah has also endured a rare forgettable season so far. The Gujarat pacer is known for his lethal pace and accuracy, but this season he hasn't performed up to the mark.

The former Sri Lanka captain believes that Mumbai Indians' bowlers have collectively failed to produce results sometimes and it is not just Bumrah.

"It's not just Booms; it's a collective effort from all the bowlers. When everyone's working together and you're picking up wickets here and there, that helps Bumrah to be bit more aggressive as well rather than doing a holding job. Everyone tends to have a slow season, but class is always permanent," the 48-year-old explained.

Mumbai Indians, who have lost their last four out of five matches, will look to return to winning ways when they take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Mumbai on Monday.