Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene conceded that his team’s bowling plans failed, particularly early on, in its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 defeat to Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati.

Royals’ openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi blazed their way to 80 runs from just five overs in the rain-shortened game. The away team never recovered from the early burst and later slid to a 27-run defeat.

“We had some plans [for Jaiswal and Suryavanshi], but I don’t think we executed those,” admitted Jayawardene at the post-match press conference on Wednesday.

“The margins are very small. These guys are practising really well. We knew the danger, especially when it is rain-curtailed, and they have the license to go up front. I think we missed our line and lengths, and they played really well,” said Jayawardene.

The former Sri Lankan captain also pointed out that his side could have dragged the game closer with a better performance with the bat.

“We just needed a couple of partnerships. We lost a few early wickets and lost the momentum. If you look at the end, the difference was four sixes. It was four hits for us, [but] we just couldn’t find that.

“And that without us getting into a rhythm or someone getting a quick 30 or 40 up top. We never thought that it was out of our reach. So, those were the margins. I think they played a really good game today. We were not good enough, and that’s what we have to work on,” said Jayawardene.

The MI coach also added that left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was rested on Tuesday as a precaution. “Mitch had a little niggle when he came off during the last game. So, it was a precaution that he wasn’t 100 per cent for him to play this game. But hopefully, he’ll be fit for our next game.”

Published on Apr 08, 2026