Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has pushed back against the narrative surrounding his team’s recent lack of silverware in the Indian Premier League. Addressing reporters on Friday ahead of their encounter with Delhi Capitals, Jayawardene asserted that a five year gap between trophies does not diminish the status of one of the competition’s most decorated franchises.
Despite being tied with Chennai Super Kings for a record five IPL championships, Mumbai Indians have faced challenges since their last victory in 2020. In the five seasons following that triumph, the team has reached the playoffs twice but also suffered the disappointment of finishing at the bottom of the table in 2022 and 2024.
Trusting the Process in a 10 Team League
Jayawardene emphasized the increased difficulty of the tournament following its expansion. He noted that while the final hurdle has proven elusive recently, the team has consistently put itself in positions to compete at the highest level.
During the pre match press conference, Jayawardene stated:
“10 teams makes it even harder competition. But I think in the last 5 years, we were in the playoffs 2 or 3 times, if I am not mistaken. So that means we had our opportunities in just that last bit. I don’t know how to answer this properly. In a competition like this, you have to take one game at a time and go through the process. As a team, we know that we have done well consistently over a period of time,”
He further explained that the franchise remains committed to the methods that brought them their initial success:
“We just need to continue to trust that process and keep playing good cricket. And we will get there. And how we have been successful is by doing the same thing. So I don’t see why we need to do something different. But as long as we keep pushing ourselves to the limit in every game and have the same attitude on and off the field to be a better team, a better franchise. I think the results will take care of themselves. Rather than putting ourselves under pressure at the beginning of the season. Saying we haven’t won it for 4 years. But some teams haven’t won it forever either. So we are not rubbing it in. But with all due respect, we just thought that we would trust our process. And work on ourselves on how we need to go about it,”
New Momentum in 2026
After a turbulent 2024 season marked by the leadership transition from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians appear to have found their footing in the 2026 edition. The squad boasts a powerful core including Rohit, Hardik, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Tilak Varma, providing a blend of veteran experience and explosive depth.
The 2026 campaign has started on a historic note. For the first time in 13 years, Mumbai Indians secured a win in their opening fixture, hunting down a massive target of 221 to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium. Half centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton were pivotal in that victory, signaling that the franchise is once again a frontrunner for the title.
