MI Head Coach Mahela Jayawardene Defends Raj Bawa Bowling Final Over After RCB Loss

After the trophy win in 2020, the IPL gold continues to elude once-untouchable MI. Despite bringing the vast majority of the players who were with the franchise in its glory years, the Hardik Pandya-led side has been an absolute shocker with both bat and ball. Despite boasting of several high-skilled, world championship-winning names, MI stare at another possible bottom-half finish for the third time this decade.

Speaking during the post-match presser about Raj bowling the final over, which saw him concede 15 runs due to some extras and get hit for a six by Bhuvneshwar Kumar after removing big-hitting Romario Shepherd, Mahela said that Raj is a "decent bowler" and all their experienced names had completed their quota of overs. It was Raj's execution of wide yorkers while training that earned stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav's trust in him.

"We had only a few spinners left. Surya backed himself, while Raj is also a decent bowler. During training, he executes those wide yorkers consistently. He stuck to his line and picked the wicket of Romario Shepherd. He (Romario), too, was under pressure. We fought well; it was a game of margins. Probably we should have executed better at the end," he said as quoted by MI's official website.

Mahela said that the season had been a "disappointing" one for MI as despite the opportunities, they were not good enough and consistent.

"We were two or three wins away from being contenders to get into the group for the playoffs. We did not get those wins, and today was a classic example of where we fell short," he added.

MI was put to bat first, and a Bhuvneswar Kumar masterclass reduced them to 28/3. An 82-run stand between Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma restored order, but the final two overs saw Raj and Corbin Bosch add just 11 runs, perhaps falling a little short on runs.

"We did try our best. The wicket was uneven at that point. I thought in the night there was a bit of dew. Our boys were trying to hit big shots, not knowing what a good score would be on this particular wicket. So, you tend to have a few dot balls in the middle. We were simply not good enough on this day," explained the coach.

The former Sri Lankan legend said that the side saw many players carrying minor niggles and injuries, while some were not available, as in the case of Will Jacks for most of the matches. Several MI players also faced injury troubles in the tournament, including skipper Hardik himself, Rohit Sharma, and Mitchell Santner.

"We had players with niggles, some were injured, while some were not available. So, the changes were forced ones. Tactically, we would have had just a few of them. There are no excuses. We have a quality side, and we had to put our hands up and perform. Unfortunately, that did not happen," he said.

But the Sri Lankan still backs his side as a "quality unit", saying that the core group of players, such as Rohit, Suryakumar, Hardik, Tilak Varma and Jasprit Bumrah, tried to do their best.

"They were fully committed and have put in a lot of effort. Rohit is getting injured and then coming back and giving his best. They have come here after playing the World Cup and even won it. The core group is very valuable for us," he signed off.

Coming to the match, RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first. The decision seemed to pay off when MI sunk to 28/3 within the powerplay courtesy of a Bhuvneshwar masterclass. However, Naman Dhir (47 in 32 balls, with five fours and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (57 in 42, with three fours and two sixes) built the innings with an 82-run stand, taking MI to 166/7 in 20 overs.

Bhuvneshwar (4/23) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB, with Josh Hazlewood (1/33) and Romario Shepherd (1/18 in three overs) also chipping in useful overs with the ball.

During the chase, RCB lost Virat Kohli (0) for a second successive golden duck and eventually sank to 39/3, with Deepak Chahar (2/33) dictating the game. However, Krunal (73 in 46 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) built a 55-run stand with Jacob Bethell (26 in 27 balls, with two fours) and another useful 38-run stand with Jitesh Sharma (18), reaching a brilliant counter-attacking fifty. However, Corbin Bosch (4/26) and Allah Ghazanfar (1/33) pulled off things with crucial wickets, removing Krunal as well, reducing RCB to 149/7 in 18 overs.

Romario Shepherd (4 in 11 balls), struggled against Jasprit Bumrah (0/20), leaving RCB with 12 to get in the final over. A flurry of extras from Raj Angad Bawa and a six from Bhuvneshwar helped ease the pressure despite Romario's dismissal, and RCB secured a last-ball win, with Rasikh Salam Dar (3*) hitting the winning runs.

With seven wins and four losses, RCB is at the top of the points table, with 14 points. MI is at the ninth spot with three wins and eight losses, eliminated from the playoff race along with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

- ANI