Mumbai Indians didn't show killer instinct to close games off, but future is bright: Jayawardene

Mumbai, May 20: Identifying the areas that need to be improved after a modest IPL 2022 season, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene was candid enough to admit that the intensity and execution went missing from MI’s campaign early in the tournament.

MI will face Delhi Capitals in their last league match here on Saturday (May 21).

“The intensity and obviously execution in those pressure situations in those early stages of the tournament, that probably was the main concern for us this year,” Jaywardene said in a virtual media conference on Friday (May 20)

“There were quite a few games where we had opportunities to win. Usually we do finish those games, and this year we didn’t - with the bat and with the ball both, we lost opportunities. That’s something we’ll talk to the guys and make sure we are ready for those challenges going forward.

“It’s about the cycle, it’s about rebuilding the unit, understanding what the MI brand is. Yes, a lot of learnings for us this year. And making sure we don’t make the same mistakes going forward.

“We didn’t have that killer instinct to close games off. The other teams were better. Once we sit down after the season, we will debrief. We’ll look at each game how we need to improve, where we need to improve, and rebuild from that,” said a forthright Jayawardene.

The mega auction ahead of IPL 2022 did change the structure of Mumbai Indians, and Jayawardene said that would give the team opportunities, going forward.

“We have to be brutally honest, we haven’t played good cricket. Like I said earlier, the intensity, we haven’t taken control of crucial moments in certain matches. If we had that done, we had the confidence to get those four-five wins in a row, we would be fighting for the play-offs. It’s that kind of a season.

Definitely disappointed, but having seen the skills of especially the youngsters, it’s us going back to the drawing board and finding solutions,” he said.

For Jayawardene, the emergence of talented youngsters has been Mumbai’s biggest positive from IPL 2022.

The Sri Lankan legend said with the new bunch gaining valuable experience, it puts Mumbai on firmer footing for the future.

“Tilak Varma has been a standout. He’s been asked to do a few different roles for us this year, bat at three, four even at five, finished a game recently. He’s responded really well, shown a lot of good qualities along the way.

We gave Dewald Brevis the freedom to play his game, he showed what he’s capable of. I think he probably got overwhelmed a little bit, so that’s when we felt that we probably need to take him away from that environment, and go through the processes of him understanding what the game is all about. I’m very excited that we’ve had these two young guys showing a lot of potential for us.

“When we got Tim David at the auction we felt that the last 12 months, what he has done in the circuit, he has a lot of talent. For us it was about his temperament, how is he going to handle IPL, because it’s a different tournament from what he has experienced before.

“He has shown the quality of what he can do. It’s not easy when you’re coming at that number, to get going straight away in those situations and finishing games off. He’s adapting to it pretty well. It’s about giving them that opportunity, giving him the confidence as well.

“The more I speak with Kumar Karthikeya, it just feels like going back in time, understanding how tough someone’s life can be. He’s looking forward to go back home after 8-9 years! We see the quality that he possesses, it’s something amazing for us to work with.

And if you talk to him, he’s a very smart kid. Learned a lot through life as well as on the field and off the field.

Hrithik Shokeen has been brilliant. Very bubbly character in the group, shows a lot of potential going forward to improve: not just as a bowler but as a genuine all-rounder. Very excited to have him as well.”

“In the last few games, Ramandeep Singh has shown the potential of what he can do. So there’s lots of options for us going forward,” Jayawardene signed off.