The Mumbai Indians have been eliminated from the IPL 2025 competition. There was no happy ending and no sixth championship. Although MI made an amazing comeback in the second half of the season, they fell just short of the finish line as their trip came to an end with a loss to the Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2. Although their tenacity in making it to the Playoffs shouldn't be disregarded, the reality is that they were outplayed by a superior squad. Owner Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani were heartbroken, and Hardik Pandya was devastated. A far superior squad.

What might have caused the Mumbai Indians to lose? Was it Trent Boult's missed catch of Nehal Wadhera? Or the fact that they failed to score enough runs? Or, maybe a third reason is that Hardik Pandya's leadership was lacking? If the internet is to be believed, Hardik was the cause. The head coach Mahela Jayawardene has been as engaged from the dugout as a captain is throughout the season. And Ahmedabad was the same way yesterday night. Jayawardene, who was always animated, kept telling Hardik about field positions, tactics, and other things. Nonetheless, as MI's aspirations of winning a record sixth IPL championship vanished into thin air, all it produced was glum faces in the dugout.

In MI's prior game, the Eliminator against the Gujarat Titans, Bumrah ignored Jayawardene, but the head coach didn't let that deter him from being his lively self. Jayawardene's persistent signaling throughout the Punjab Kings' sixteenth over elicited a range of feelings from people in close proximity to him. Bumrah, who was fielding close to the boundary, appeared visibly amused, while Kieron Pollard, the hitting coach, couldn't help but grin at Jayawardene's performance. Jayawardene was probably giving instructions to Hardik, but maybe the MI captain wasn't paying attention or didn't concur. As Bumrah was compelled to smile, the situation became nearly comical. In search of explanations, he then turned right away to Rohit, who was sitting in the dugout.

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Although failing to cross the finish line hurts, MI may be pleased with their overall effort. Their start was lukewarm once more, as they lost five of their first six games. However, just when a recurrence of the previous season seemed probable, MI did what only MI does. RECOVER. They earned a spot in the Playoffs after winning six straight games and a few more, even if few people believed they had a chance. They may have gotten the better of PBKS, but for a few strategies that didn't quite work.

Mahela Jayawardene thinks back on the Mumbai Indians' IPL 2025 season.

Jayawardene stated, "There could have been a lot of ifs and buts, but I think we didn't play a perfect game and we paid for it. It was a good campaign for us, the way we started and how we regrouped as a team and played some really, really good cricket." We had a great first game and had chances to advance to the playoffs. Jayawardene stated following the game, "Even today, I thought we played some excellent cricket, except for Kings playing better cricket than us, especially with the bat."

Jasprit Bumrah had an unusual bad day, giving up 40 runs, which undoubtedly harmed the five-time champions. However, Jayawardene was not overly strict with his bowlers, implying that Bumrah was not the only one responsible for taking wickets. Furthermore, the coach praised Punjab for their outstanding performance in cricket.

"I thought the others bowled really well today, especially Ashwini. Mitch [Santner] bowled well, and then Hardik as well. It wasn't all about Bumrah, then. Josh [Inglis] batted well; he was attempting to take those wickets from the PowerPlay in particular. It was a contest between that and the good execution of overs 3–4. They may have taken advantage of it, or you could have gotten a wicket," Jayawardene continued.

They played well in stages. Additionally, we returned and took the wickets, and we were in the game. We were unable to maintain the momentum during those 4-5 overs immediately after the 10th over, which is precisely when Nehal and Shreyas likely won the match for us, especially with their partnership.

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