IPL 2022: MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene reacts to Jofra Archer's long-standing injury nightmare

Five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians will look to cap off a disappointing IPL season on a winning note when they take on Delhi Capitals on Saturday. The richest and most successful franchise in the T20 tournament has endured its worst season with 10 defeats in 13 games so far in the 10-team tournament. While skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have had a quiet spell with the bat, a mediocre bowling setup remains a big concern for the Mumbai outfit. IPL 2022 Coverage

Domestic players like Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat and Murugan Ashwin haven't left a mark, while West Indies veteran Kieron Pollard remains in search of lost mojo. The critics have also questioned Mumbai's poor auction strategy which saw them splurge ₹15.25 crore for Ishan and ₹8 crore on an injured Jofra Archer.

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The England paceman was earlier set to miss out the ongoing season due to injury. He has now been ruled out of the entire English summer due to a stress fracture. But Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene is optimistic that Archer would be available next season, which is 10 months away.

“I think to be honest, it is too far ahead. Our team of experts will keep monitoring his (Archer’s) progress. He didn’t have these injuries in the past, so it is something new," said the Sri Lanka great on Friday.

"Hopefully it is nothing too bad. So we will see how he progresses, but 10 months till next IPL, so there is a lot of time to assess his situation and we are hoping that he makes a strong recovery and he will be available for us next season,” he added.

Jayawardene also spoke about Mumbai's show and pointed out the team failed to take control of crucial moments. He made no bones in admitting that his players did not play good cricket. “But having the quality that we have in the squad, yes, you have to be brutally honest, we haven’t played good cricket."

“As I have said earlier, the intensity, we haven’t taken control of crucial moments in certain matches, we had that done (then) we had the confidence to get those four-five wins in a row, where we would be fighting for the play-offs, but it has been that kind of a season and (I am) definitely disappointed," he said.

Mumbai are likely to end up last in the league standings even if they manage to win their final game against Delhi Capitals.