Mumbai Indians Coach Reflects on Team's Struggles in IPL 2026

Mumbai Indians' head coach Mahela Jayawardene reflects on the team's ongoing struggles in the IPL 2026 season, attributing the poor performance to collective responsibility rather than individual failures. After suffering their fourth consecutive loss to Punjab Kings, Jayawardene emphasizes the need for improvement and accountability among the coaching staff and management. He also provides an update on Rohit Sharma's injury, assuring fans that it is not serious. The match recap highlights MI's batting efforts and PBKS's dominant chase, leaving MI in a challenging position in the league standings.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 17, 2026, 10:43 IST

Collective Responsibility for Poor Performance

Mahela Jayawardene, the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI), emphasized that the team's disappointing performance in the IPL 2026 season cannot be attributed to a single individual but is a shared responsibility among all members of the organization.

The team, led by Hardik Pandya, suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, losing to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by seven wickets on Thursday. MI began their IPL 2026 journey with a victory over Kolkata Knight Riders but has since faced setbacks against Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and now PBKS.

'It's on every one of us': Jayawardene's Insights

During the post-match press conference, Jayawardene stated that the lack of success is a collective issue, not just an individual failure. He highlighted the need for the coaching staff and management, including himself, to take responsibility and work towards improving the team's performance following the loss to PBKS. He remarked, "I think it's on every one of us when we are not doing well. It's not an individual. It's pretty much on me, everyone who is involved in the management and all that to see how can we be better."

Jayawardene acknowledged that while MI is playing reasonably well, they are being outperformed by more confident and clinical opponents. He stressed the importance of improving in critical moments of the game and taking collective responsibility as a franchise to regain momentum and confidence. "I know we are playing good cricket. We are not taken out completely, but at the same time the other teams are much better, clinical; obviously the confidence is high as well when they have that kind of start so we just need to control phases that we can control," he added.

Update on Rohit Sharma's Injury

Regarding MI's opening batsman Rohit Sharma, who missed the match against PBKS due to a hamstring injury sustained during the game against RCB, Jayawardene provided an update. He mentioned that Rohit has begun running and is being monitored daily. The coach reassured that the injury is not severe, but they will be cautious about his return since it is still early in the season. "He started running yesterday, [we'll take] day to day to see how he feels. He knows his body better than anybody else so it's nothing serious but at the same time we don't want to push and it's early season still," he explained.

Match Recap: MI vs PBKS

In the match, Punjab Kings showcased their dominance in IPL 2026 with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. This win propelled PBKS to the top of the table with four wins and a no-result, while MI fell to ninth place with only one win from five matches.

Batting first, MI scored 195/6, thanks to Quinton de Kock's outstanding 112* off 60 balls and a significant 122-run partnership with Naman Dhir, who contributed a quick 50. Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler for PBKS, taking 3 wickets for 22 runs.

In response, PBKS chased down the target in just 16.3 overs, finishing at 198/3. Prabhsimran Singh was the star of the chase with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls, while captain Shreyas Iyer added a swift 66 off 35 balls. The two formed a crucial partnership after early wickets. For MI, Allah Ghazanfar took 2 wickets for 32 runs, but the bowling attack struggled against PBKS's strong batting performance.