Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene was "brutally honest" in his assessment after their early exit from the IPL, saying they failed to take control of crucial moments and did not play good cricket.
Mumbai are likely to end up last on the points table even if they manage to win their last game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
"But having the quality that we have in the squad, yes, you have to be brutally honest, we haven't played good cricket," Jayawardene said on the eve of the game.
"Like I have said earlier, the intensity, we haven't taken control of crucial moments in certain matches, we had that done (then) we had the confidence to get those four-five wins in a row, where we would be fighting for the play-offs, but it has been that kind of a season and (I am) definitely disappointed." Jayawardene said the main concern was not handling pressure situations in early stages of the tournament.
"As any season where we start slow, which is a concern for us. The intensity that we played the first four-five games, where we had the opportunity to win matches (but) we didn't execute certain skills, made mistakes, that is something we need to rectify.
"Because getting those early wins always gives team confidence and then you win matches from nowhere that gives you the platform to get into the season and be dominant. So the intensity and execution, handling little pressure situations in those early stages of the tournament that probably was a main concern for us this year," he elaborated.
"There were quite a few games that we had opportunities to win, usually we do finish those games and this year, we didn't with the bat and ball, where we lost opportunities, so that is something we will speak to the guys and make sure that they are ready for challenges going forward," he added.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
