Bumrah was smacked for 41 runs in four overs as Punjab Kings chased down the target of 196 with 21 balls and seven wickets to spare in their Indian Premier League (IPL) contest in Mumbai on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cBumrah is bowling well, it is just where we are not putting pressure in the PowerPlay,\u201d Jayawardene told reporters after the match.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey (opposition) know they don\u2019t need to take too much risk against Bumrah. We tried a few different things, which he is trying as well, but they are batting well. I can\u2019t put a finger (on something) and say that he hasn\u2019t taken a wicket.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former Sri Lankan captain revealed that Bumrah carried a niggle at the start of the IPL 2026 but has pulled up well since.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think initially because he had a slight niggle which came from the World Cup,\u201d he replied to a query on Bumrah\u2019s inconsistent pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to build him up (and) over the last few games, his speed has gone up. We\u2019ve looked at all that, so he\u2019s very comfortable. Sometimes, you need a bit of luck as well. (Bumrah) Bowled some really good balls initially to Shreyas (Iyer), but wasn\u2019t lucky enough. Once he starts taking wickets, he might not be able to stop him doing that,\u201d Jayawardene added.<\/p>\n
However, Jayawardene did not dismiss the fact that the MI bowlers lacked the precision so far this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as a (bowling) unit, like I said before, we\u2019ve lacked that penetration in different surfaces and that\u2019s something that we need to work (on) and see what we need to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The head coach said Rohit Sharma\u2019s injury is not serious and the team management doesn\u2019t want to push him as it is \u201cstill early stages\u201d of the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe started running yesterday (Wednesday), he batted (as well)\u2026 taking it day to day to see how he feels. He knows his body better than anybody else. It\u2019s nothing serious, but at the same time, we don\u2019t want to push and it\u2019s early season still, so the medical staff will take that call,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Jayawardene refused to accept that skipper Hardik Pandya was under pressure with MI losing its fourth match in a row.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s just on Hardik, it\u2019s on every one of us. When we\u2019re not doing well, it\u2019s not an individual, it\u2019s pretty much on me, everyone who\u2019s involved in the management to see how can we be better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know we\u2019re playing good cricket \u2014 we\u2019re not taken out completely \u2014 but at the same time the other teams are much better, clinical, (and) obviously the confidence is high as well when they have that kind of start,\u201d he added, referring to Arshdeep Singh\u2019s twin strikes that reduced MI to 15 for two at early on.<\/p>\n
Jayawardene said it was a tactical call to pair up Quinton de Kock (112) and Ryan Rickelton for the first wicket.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have an Indian opener (as) backup. But the things I have had to go through from yesterday (Wednesday) to today with the illnesses in our group and trying to get the right combination, is something which only I\u2019m privy to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 we\u2019ve had quite a few unfortunate injuries, illnesses within the camp (and because of) that we\u2019ve not been able to get everyone on the park,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Jayawardene also rued MI losing momentum towards the end with the bat, along with Deepak Chahar\u2019s 21-run first over.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuinny (de Kock) batted exceptionally, and it was a good partnership. At the end, we lost a little bit of rhythm; they bowled well to pull it back. I was hoping that we could get to that 210-220 mark if we had a couple of big overs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing momentum at the back end, as well as not setting the tone in that first over, probably put us back. (It was) another big over upfront. These are areas that we needed to be sharper (in) and execution-wise it was quite poor,\u201d Jayawardene added.<\/p>\n
Published on Apr 17, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n