Kamal Ghorui
Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 playoff hopes officially ended after their heartbreaking last-ball loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted the team simply was not good enough this season.Mumbai posted 166/7 after recovering from early trouble, but Krunal Pandya’s fighting 73 kept RCB alive in the chase. The game went down to the final over with Bengaluru needing 15 runs. Youngster Raj Angad Bawa was handed the responsibility, and although he picked up the wicket of Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar smashed a crucial six before a lucky deflection helped RCB complete a dramatic two-wicket win.
Despite the painful finish, Jayawardene defended the decision to trust Bawa in such a high-pressure moment.“All our experienced bowlers were done with their quota and we only had a few spinners left. Surya backed himself while Raj is also a decent bowler,” Jayawardene said.“He stuck to his line and picked the wicket of (Romario) Shepherd. He too was under pressure. We fought well; it was a game of margins.”After suffering their eighth defeat in 11 matches, Mumbai Indians are now officially out of the playoff race. Jayawardene admitted the team failed to deliver consistently throughout the season.“The season, it’s disappointing. We’ve had our opportunities. We were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball, with the bat,” he said.He also explained that injuries and unavailable players disrupted the team’s balance during the tournament.“We had players with niggles, some were injured while some were not available. So, the changes were forced ones,” Jayawardene added.Still, the former Sri Lanka captain refused to make excuses and accepted that Mumbai’s experienced squad failed to live up to expectations this year. While RCB climbed to the top of the table, MI were left reflecting on a disappointing campaign filled with missed opportunities
