We just couldn’t keep the pressure going: Mahela Jayawardene

**We just couldn't keep the pressure going: Mahela Jayawardene

Mumbai Indians' head coach, Mahela Jayawardene, reflected on their campaign in IPL 2025 following their loss against Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2.

A campaign that started with four losses in the first five games picked up pace once Jasprit Bumrah returned to the side. The five-time champions registered six successive wins, showcasing their strength in both batting and bowling.

However, Jayawardene confessed that Mumbai Indians didn't put up their best performance against the Shreyas Iyer-led side.

"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.

Mumbai Indians posted 203 for 6, but Punjab Kings chased it down with an over to spare, thanks to Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 41-ball 87.

Jayawardene praised the opposition, saying, "They were solid, especially chasing 200. It's not that easy. They've executed that pretty well."

He also acknowledged that Mumbai Indians made a few blunders, including two dropped catches.

Jayawardene refused to accept that the team was heavily reliant on Bumrah to defend the total, saying, "I thought the others, like especially Ashwini bowled really well today. Mitch bowled well, and then Hardik as well."

He added that Mumbai Indians just couldn't keep the pressure going, especially in the middle overs, where Nehal Wadhera and Shreyas Iyer added 84 runs in 8.1 overs.

"Shreyas took his time," Jayawardene said. "We knew they were a bit under pressure, so he was taking his time. We knew that was a danger. As long as we didn't give him that partnership with Nehal, we would have been able to squeeze through because he would have had to go early, not wait that long."