Spinners will jacks

Spinners Will Jacks: Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene defended the team’s decision to give the final over to Deepak Chahar, insisting the three-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium past midnight on Tuesday came down to execution, not strategy.

In a rain-hit, high-pressure clash on Tuesday, Gujarat Titans pulled off a stunning last-ball win against Mumbai Indians, chasing 15 runs in the final over of a DLS-revised 19-over innings. While many questioned why captain Hardik Pandya didn’t bowl the decisive last over, Jayawardene backed the pre-planned call to go with Chahar.

“Deepak did that job for us when Booms [Jasprit Bumrah] was not there [early in the season],” Jayawardene said after MI’s six-match winning streak was snapped. “He was good, our main bowler. It’s easier to ask now why Hardik didn’t bowl. But had Hardik gone for three sixes, the same question would’ve been asked about Deepak. I don’t like to go there.”