Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 8 (ANI): Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted that the team's performance in the powerplay, both with bat and ball has been a significant concern this season. Following their 12-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Monday, MI have now suffered four defeats in five matches in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Jayawardene urged his side to be more 'ruthless' and avoid 'losing discipline' before it's too late to salvage the campaign, as per ESPNcricinfo.

'The powerplay is a concern for us with the ball and the bat. In the last few games as well, we were leaking too many runs with the ball in the powerplay as well,' Jayawardene said at the post-match press conference, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'We got an early wicket today as well - first over - but then they counter-punched, played some good shots, and we just did not react well to that. These are the margins and then they had a big sixth over, which really hurt us in that powerplay,' he said.

Statistically, MI have been the most expensive bowling side in the powerplay this season, conceding at 10.36 runs per over while managing just six wickets in that phase. On Monday, Trent Boult gave MI a promising start by striking in the first over for a record 31st time in the IPL. However, the momentum quickly shifted as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal capitalized on a 20-run over from Deepak Chahar, guiding RCB to 73/1 in the powerplay, the second-highest score in the first six overs against MI at the Wankhede and the fourth-highest overall in the IPL.

With the bat, MI's top order has also faltered early. In their chase of 222, they lost two wickets within the first four overs and ended the powerplay at 54/2. So far this season, MI have lost ten wickets in the first six overs, the second-most, only behind Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with 12.

'With the bat as well, I thought we had a good start but just couldn't continue,' Jayawardene said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'We lost those two wickets and then we had to consolidate a little bit and lost a bit of momentum there. We had a few big overs in between but we just weren't in the game in that first ten overs. The margins are small in this competition and we're not hitting our strides and that is a concern,' he added.

MI currently sit eighth in the ten-team points table, with their only win coming against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home. Despite their poor form, Jayawardene insisted that the team has been playing some good cricket and sees no reason to make changes in personnel just yet.

'I still back 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,' he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'At times, we're missing out on those one or two overs where we lose our discipline. So that's with the bat as well as with the ball. That's something that we need to rectify,' he added.

'Losing is not a great thing. You start doubting yourself. And sometimes a fresh face coming into this kind of situation... might be even tougher for that player as well without the experience. The guys who have the experience know to handle tough situations and be mentally stronger going forward. So that's something that we will bank on and make sure that we really focus on getting the group together and be positive and play the next game,' he noted.

In Monday's game, MI were in deep trouble at 99/4 after 12 overs. However, skipper Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma injected life into the innings with a blistering 89-run partnership off just 34 balls. Hardik was aggressive from ball one. He smashed Josh Hazlewood for two sixes and two fours, followed by back-to-back sixes off Krunal Pandya, racing to 32 off just seven deliveries.

'Most of the guys are match-winners. It's just that we are not getting that tempo going consistently,' Jayawardene said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'Once you hit that 10th-12th over mark, we knew we could give ourselves a chance. When Hardik walked into bat, that was the conversation I had with him. I said, 'try and see if you can get three big overs in'. That's what he delivered. Then the momentum changed. Tilak started going as well,' he added.

'We were close, but not good enough. Obviously, the emotions were great for a while. But we had to be realistic that we are not playing the best cricket that we could play,' he said.

Jayawardene also dismissed concerns surrounding former captain Rohit Sharma, who continued his struggle with another low score. Rohit managed 17 off nine balls, hitting two fours and a six before being bowled by a sharp inswinger from Yash Dayal.

'For right-handed batsmen, left-armers [dismissal] is a natural thing,' Jayawardene said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'It's been there for many years. I can remember Vaasy [Chaminda Vaas] doing the same thing for many teams, Wasim Akram doing the same thing, so it's just a natural angle. I'm sure Rohit's been working on it, he's been practising hard and he's a very experienced player,' he added.

Since the start of IPL 2023, Rohit has been dismissed 22 times during the powerplay, the most for any batter. Among those who have faced at least 180 deliveries in the first six overs since last season, Rohit has the lowest average of 27.90. While his strike rate was 130.72 in 2023, it rose to 151.97 this season in the powerplay, reflecting a more aggressive intent, something Jayawardene acknowledged.

'He was trying to give us a good start and he played some really good shots,' he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'[Dayal] actually bowled a good ball. It was late-swing and fuller, got through Rohit'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 yeah, it's something that I'm sure Rohit will work hard on,' he noted. (ANI)