MI have played good cricket, deserve to have playoffs fate in own hands: Jayawardene

India Today

IPL 2025, MI vs DC: Mahela Jayawardene said that Mumbai Indians have played good cricket, having won six out of their last seven matches, and deserve to have play-off fate in their own hands. A win for MI on Wednesday will send them through to the playoffs.

Transcript

00:00yeah so since resumption so much has happened with the three teams qualified

00:12and you have five teams in the bottom half you're my end DC still in the race

00:18how do you look at and how how is the team grateful for what has happened still

00:26in the race for the yeah I think obviously how much got pushed back and we had to

00:33wait for other results to happen but I think we were always in contention for

00:40for playoffs after we had that run so it's it's in for us it's good to start

00:48the tournament and and play cricket the guys have been waiting for this training

00:54has been pretty good and just take one game at a time and and see what we need

01:00to do the league stage is closed how do you look at yeah like I said you know

01:09it's in our control it's it's great position to be and but I I can't I wish I

01:15can predict what's going to happen so I can't so I the message from me for the

01:20boys was to make sure that we go through our routines our processes the way we

01:25train where we plan and the way we've gone about this tournament I'm very happy

01:32the intensity the the way they've reacted to certain situations and we just need

01:40to do the same it's do the same it's that simple so I'm not thinking ahead or

01:50anything like that it just we've had a good week's preparation and watch what

01:58the other teams were doing as well how they've come about and we just need to go

02:03forward and express ourselves and play a good game of cricket and any thoughts on

02:08how the change in playing condition of one hour extension of extra time will

02:13affect you think I don't know I mean obviously the weather's been threatening

02:18most of the games and it's addition that they've collectively taken if it helps it

02:24helps but if you have serious screen I don't know whether the extra is going to

02:29help but as long as we can get a game with the extension yeah I mean I think

02:35everyone wants to play a game of cricket rather than not play yeah Mahila it's all

02:41said and done it's the matter of fact is it's down to two teams now isn't it the

02:45fourth and I'm sure you'll be happy if you get through tomorrow then it's don't have to

02:50depend on Punjab Kings as such you know for both teams too yeah like I said

02:54earlier I mean it's it's it's better to have it in our control than anyone else's

03:02and and watch that situation so we've played good cricket to deserve to be in

03:07that situation and and we'll we'll go out and try and play our best game of

03:13cricket tomorrow well if you confirm the availability of the three guys who are

03:24going out till when they are available that's one whatever the timelines that we

03:32were given is what I I know so far from those respective boards so till that time

03:40then they'll be available so essentially will will head back after tomorrow

03:45night's game and the other to the two South Africans will be I thought I thought

03:49the England boys are leaving after the league stages the South Africans were

03:55given 26 to arrive something like that if I'm not mistaken so that's what we've

04:02been told and in that respect this is a first for the IPL that only for a short

04:08term for a set unit you have to think about replacements from Mumbai Indians

04:13perspective once if and when you get to the knockouts how tricky will it be

04:19considering there are three starting 11 guys that you will actually miss I mean

04:26not three starting level probably two Mitch is still there because Mitch we

04:33played a different combination but yeah it's two guys it's it's the same it's going to

04:38happen for most of those teams which have qualified already they're going to be in

04:42the same situation so I'm not I haven't thought that far ahead we've obviously

04:49named the three guys that we're looking at to bring both two of them already here I

04:55think Johnny will arrive tomorrow so we'll see I mean I'm just concentrating on

05:02tomorrow's game get through that and then we'll see what we need to do hi Mahela this

05:10is where a very unprecedented situation where am I going to a must-win game after

05:15about two weeks break so how does Mumbai Indians prepare for this and what does

05:20Mahela Jaivadine tell them in terms of how to get ready because we've seen must-win games

05:26preceded by one or two matches but this tomorrow's game is yeah I mean we were in

05:34that situation to be honest like when we were for one after five matches for us

05:41every game was a must-win from that situation the boys reacted pretty well the

05:47last game obviously we gave ourselves a great opportunity we fought really well

05:52after mistakes we've done so cricket wise I'm not worried the brand of cricket that

05:58we are playing react into situations this is what we've all built the team for for

06:06an IPL yes we had a break but it's looking at a week ten days we've been

06:11practicing we've done what we need to do simulations and how we want to play this

06:17game but end of the day I've played enough cricket to understand it's still a game of

06:24cricket and the end result will only come if you go through the processes if we

06:29just take one ball at a time go through the processes the plans execution 240

06:37balls later we'll have a result so if we can win majority of those deliveries the

06:41plays that's my message to try and keep that focus in and make sure that you know

06:47we enjoy the game of the brand that we've been playing and we have a really

06:53good experience unit who could handle that and that's the message and yeah I

07:01mean to be honest whatever's happened and all that it's not in our control what

07:05we can control is what we were given and preparation and then tomorrow's game so

07:11just take it that simply I know you guys might think you know how can it be it's a big

07:18game for us but it's still a game of cricket whether it's a World Cup final

07:22whether it's IPL final I can't control the dynamics I can't control the fans or how

07:29media is reacting to the whole thing what I can control is to make sure the guys are

07:33focused to play a game of cricket it'll be for them a normal game of cricket as long as I

07:38I can't get them to think like that that's a way forward in this time period the the break

07:47that was there Rohit Sharma is retired from test cricket and there's also a stand named after him

07:52now here at the one K day so have you had a word with him and do you feel that he still has you know

07:57a couple of years in him to sort of give to IPL and to the Mumbai Indians I was away at home when all

08:09this happened and came back obviously I had a chat to him I mean he was quite happy with the decision

08:16that he made obviously that's something quite personal to him obviously with the stand we were

08:23here I mean some proud moment for for any cricketer who's come from its neck of the wood and and be

08:30recognized while he was still playing so it's something special for role we saw that in his

08:35speech as well he was quite emotional and yeah I'm very happy for him like I said my focus is

08:45tomorrow's game I haven't thought any further than that

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