Watch: MI Coach Mahela Jayawardene's Constant Intervention Leaves Jasprit Bumrah In Splits During PBKS vs MI

Mumbai Indians dream of lifting their sixth IPL title completely shattered on Sunday after they lost against Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2 match. Despite presenting a memorable comeback in the league with sixth consecutive victories, Hardik Pandya and co failed to reach the summit clash and faced a heartbreaking elimination. After posting a total of 203/6 in 20 overs, MI failed to grab the key moments as PBKS marched into the final with an over to spare and five wickets in hand.

After the match, many fans took to social media to express their disappointment over Hardik's captaincy. Even during the game, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene did not seem to be quite happy with the all-rounder's decision-making as he was seen adjusting the field from the dugout.

This was nit the first time that the Sri Lanka great tried to intervene in the match proceedings as during the Eliminator match against Gujarat Titans, he was seen giving some tips to pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

In a video now going viral on social media from Qualifier 2 match, Bumrah was seen placed near the boundary rope, where Jayawardene was making some gestures towards Hardik. He was indeed asking the MI skipper to make some changes in the field placement.

As Jayawardene got bit too excited, MI batting coach Kieron Pollard, who was sitting in the dugout, could not control his smile. Seeing all this, Bumrah also failed to control his laughter as ran towards Rohit Sharma, who was sitting in the dugout during the second innings.

Sums up Mumbai Indians' leadership and captaincy. pic.twitter.com/Wc2zkGdHR6

— 🇮🇳the_old_guy (@theoldguy20) June 1, 2025

After the loss, Hardik Pandya acknowledged that the decision-making during the crucial overs could have been better, specifically mentioning Jasprit Bumrah's under-utilisation at a key moment.

"Especially Shreyas, the way he batted, he took his chances and played really well. It was a par score, but it really needed great execution from the bowling unit. They were really calm and put us under pressure, and we were not able to execute the way we wanted. [Should Bumrah have bowled the 17th over?] In hindsight, it would have been different, but maybe a little too early," Hardik said in the post-match presentation.

Topics mentioned in this article

Mumbai Indians Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer Hardik Pandya Mahela Jayawardene Jasprit Bumrah IPL 2025 Cricket