Mumbai, April 8: Mumbai Indians have lost four of their five matches so far in the Indian Premier League, but head coach Mahela Jayawardene has ruled out making too many changes in the playing eleven, saying he would back the senior players to come good. MI lost by 12 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Monday. In the process, RCB snapped their six-match winless streak at the Wankhede Stadium. IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captain Rajat Patidar Fined INR 12 Lakh for Team’s Slow Over-Rate Against Mumbai Indians.

While Jasprit Bumrah was tidy in his comeback spell, former skipper Rohit Sharma (17) flopped again and even Suryakumar Yadav struggled during his 26-ball knock for 28 runs in a stiff chase.

“Not really, (The) results (may) not (be) going (our way), but at the same time you can agree that we are playing some good cricket as well,”  Jayawardene replied when asked if the defeats would lead to changes in MI's playing XI.

“I still back the the senior pros and all the guys I put out there, they have the skill. It's just that we need to be a bit more ruthless and at times we're missing out on those one or two overs where we lose our discipline, that's with the bat as well so that's something that we need to rectify,” he said.

Jayawardene said bringing in fresh faces into the eighth-placed MI might also not be the right approach.

“Losing is not a great thing. You start doubting yourself and sometimes a fresh face coming into this kind of situation, (it) might be even tougher for that (player) as well without the experience, The guys who have the experience, (they) know to handle tough situations and be mentally stronger going forward. That's something that we will bank on,” he said. Hardik Pandya Completes 200 Wickets in T20s, Achieves Feat During MI vs RCB IPL 2025 Match.

Jayawardene acknowledged that powerplay performance has been a concern for the five-time winners whose top order, including Rohit, has been unable to fire.

“Rather than (taking) names, powerplay is a concern for us with the ball and the bat. (In) the last few games we were leaking too many runs with the ball in the powerplay, (and) we're not getting the starts and losing wickets, especially in Wankhede (Stadium),” he said.

He backed Rohit, who has had scores of 0, 8, 13 and 17 so far, to fight his way through the challenges, especially against left-arm pace. Rohit was dismissed by a left-armer — Yash Dayal — for the second time this season.

“For right-handed batsmen, (facing) left-arm (pace bowling) is a natural thing. It's been there for many years. I can remember Wasim Akram doing the same thing for many years, it's just a natural angle and then creating that space,” he said. Virat Kohli Becomes First Indian Batter To Reach 13,000-Run Mark in T20s, Achieves Feat During MI vs RCB IPL 2025 Match.

“I'm sure Ro (Rohit) has been working on it, he's been practicing hard and he's a very experienced player. I'm sure that's not the thing (that Rohit struggles against left-arm pace), he was trying to give us a good start and he played some really good shots."

“Yash bowled a good ball, it was late swing and fuller, got through Ro's defence. When you have played the game for that long, you need to sometimes give credit to the bowlers as well. I wouldn't read into that too much but it's something that I'm sure that Ro will work hard on it,” he added.

Jayawardene said MI are not playing the “best cricket” that they could play.

“With the talent that we have, we know (that) we are always in the game. We know that we just need to be patient and and most of the guys are match winners, it's just that we are not getting that tempo going consistently,” he said.

“When Hardik (Pandya) walked into bat, the conversation I had with him (was that) try and see whether you can get three big overs in and that's what he delivered and the momentum changed, Tilak (Varma) started going as well so we were close, but not good enough. IPL 2025: Krunal Pandya’s Final Over Blows Help Royal Challengers Bengaluru To Defeat Mumbai Indians in High-Scoring Thriller; First Win for RCB in 10 Years at Wankhede Stadium.

“The emotions were great for a while, but we have to be realistic that we're not playing the best cricket that we could play,” he said.

Jayawardene also expressed his satisfaction on Tilak's response with a 29-ball 56 after being retired out against Lucknow Super Giants.

“I have a lot of faith in the Tilak's ability. That day, he just couldn't get going and it was a tactical call I made. I needed two hits from someone else and we tried that. But today I backed him to bat and he delivered and he will continue to deliver for us, so the class is always going to be there,” he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)