Mumbai Indians' IPL campaigns have often been built on timing. They have rarely been the side that storms through the league stage unbeaten or overwhelms opponents from the outset. Their best seasons have usually involved a slow burn, a squad trusting its pedigree long enough for momentum to eventually arrive. This year, however, the spark never came.
A two-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a last-ball thriller on Sunday (May 10) officially ended their playoff hopes, even though three league games still remain. For a franchise that once defined consistency and big-match certainty, it is now a sixth straight season without the title and another year spent drifting away from the business end of the tournament.
What perhaps summed up their season best was not merely the defeat itself, but the manner in which head coach Mahela Jayawardene spoke afterwards. There was no attempt to shield the side behind bad luck, scheduling complaints or conditions. The frustration was visible, but so too was the acceptance.
"Yeah, I mean, the season, it's disappointing," Jayawardene said after the loss. "We've had our opportunities. We were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball, with the bat and that showed the margins."