During the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings on Sunday at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, Lasith Malinga and Mahela Jayawardene have been criticized for being overly engaged in the game from the dugout. Using captain Shreyas Iyer's undefeated 87, PBKS defeated MI's total of 203 by 7 wickets in a game with a lot of runs, securing a spot in the final, where the 2014 finalists will face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Nevertheless, one couldn't help but feel for MI, the five-time winners, as they attempted to win their sixth title, since the IPL 2025 is certain to have a different champion. They lost for a variety of reasons, one of which Harbhajan Singh believes severely harmed their prospects. The former India spinner objected to the head coach Jayawardene's and bowling coach Malinga's overabundance of instructions as MI sought to dominate the game versus PBKS.

"Check out the Mumbai Indians dugout. There was far too much outside participation when they were giving up runs. A bowler like Bumrah is being instructed by coaches on what to do and what not to do. A dressing room must be cool and collected. The advice that coaches provide should be limited. Don't give the impression of desperation. Therefore, I felt that their spirits are broken when this occurs far too frequently, Harbhajan, who was formerly an MI cricketer, stated on his YouTube channel.

"Need to demonstrate confidence in players like Rohit, Hardik, and Bumrah"

In addition to Malinga's interactions with the players in the dugout, Jayawardene was especially exuberant whenever MI seemed to be under any kind of pressure. Jayawardene's attempt to communicate with Bumrah during the previous game—the Eliminator against the Gujarat Titans—went viral in a video that showed the MI pacer disregarding the coach's directives and requesting that he relax. Jayawardene was reminded by Harbhajan that these are tried and tested IPL winners who have won the league before, and that occasionally it's not such a terrible idea to just sit and carry out your plans in the dugout rather than always being in the players' ears.

"Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, these are significant players. And let them take whatever actions are necessary when they are playing to achieve the desired outcome for the squad. They have won numerous prizes as a team. "They needed to be shown a lot more faith, but the coaching staff time and time again were interfering and gesturing with their hands," Harbhajan added.

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