'He has been made the scapegoat' – S Badrinath on Mahela Jayawardene's Mumbai Indians exit

Subramaniam Badrinath has publicly defended Mahela Jayawardene following his exit as Mumbai Indians head coach after a two-year tenure. Badrinath argued that the former Sri Lankan captain is being unfairly blamed for the team's recent struggles, noting that the franchise failed to win a trophy over the last six seasons and finished ninth in the 2026 IPL standings with only four victories.

He compared the situation to the departure of Stephen Fleming from Chennai Super Kings, suggesting that both organizations are using their coaches as scapegoats for deeper leadership issues. To address the vacancy, Badrinath proposed that Mumbai Indians consider hiring Rahul Dravid as head coach if Rohit Sharma is named captain, citing their successful partnership during India's T20 World Cup campaign.

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