Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene’s recent remarks ahead of their crucial IPL match against Delhi Capitals:
With Mumbai Indians (MI) battling for the final playoff spot against Delhi Capitals (DC), coach Mahela Jayawardene expressed cautious optimism about a new IPL rule extending match time by one hour to combat rain interruptions during the monsoon season. Given the increasing threat of rain affecting games, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced this change hoping it would allow more matches to reach a result.
Jayawardene said in a pre-match press conference in Mumbai:
“Obviously the weather has been threatening most of the games, and it's a decision that they've collectively taken. If it helps, it helps, but if you have serious rain, I don't know whether the extra hours are going to help.”
MI have made an impressive comeback this season after a shaky start where they lost four of their first five games. Jayawardene highlighted the team’s resilience, saying:
“We were always in contention for playoffs after we had that run. For us, it's good to start the tournament (again) and play cricket, the guys have been waiting for this, training has been pretty good and just take one game at a time.”
MI currently hold the fourth and final playoff spot but must win against DC at home on Wednesday to confirm their place. A loss would mean they will depend on other results, particularly the DC vs Punjab Kings match on May 24.
Jayawardene emphasized the importance of staying focused and in control:
“It's better to have it in our control than anyone else's and watch that situation, so we've played good cricket to deserve to be in that situation, and we'll go out and try and play our best game of cricket tomorrow.”
Regarding squad changes, Jayawardene confirmed that the team’s English and South African players will soon depart. The English contingent leaves after the group stage, while South African players exit by May 26.
He noted the team is preparing replacements accordingly:
“We've obviously named the three guys that we're looking at to bring. Two of them (Richard Gleeson and Charith Asalanka) are already here. I think Jonny (Bairstow) will arrive tomorrow (Wednesday).”
Jayawardene added that other teams qualifying for playoffs are facing similar player departures due to international commitments.
