Mahela Jayawardene, the head coach of the Mumbai Indians, defended the team’s choice to hand the final over to Deepak Chahar, stating that execution, not plan, was the key to Tuesday’s three-wicket defeat to the Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium after midnight.

After pursuing 15 runs in the last over of a DLS-revised 19-over innings, the Gujarat Titans defeated the Mumbai Indians in a thrilling last-ball match on Tuesday under heavy rain and pressure. Jayawardene supported the prearranged decision to continue with Chahar, despite many questioning why skipper Hardik Pandya did not bowl the last, crucial over.

“When Booms [Jasprit Bumrah] wasn’t there [early in the season], Deepak did that job for us,” Jayawardene said after the end of MI’s six-game winning run. “Our top bowler, he was excellent. Now, it’s simpler to wonder why Hardik didn’t bowl. However, the same issue would have been raised about Deepak if Hardik had gone for three sixes. I dislike going there.

A no-ball and a six were among the 11 runs the Titans took off the first three balls. After being in control for the most of the second innings, Mumbai lost the match when Chahar got Gerald Coetzee out, turning the tide of the contest in Gujarat’s favor. Chahar then missed a runout attempt as Arshad Khan scrambled for a single.

Jayawardene emphasized that “it was the execution, not the decision,” that was the issue. Even though MI’s bowlers set up the game well, he pointed out how it ended. Particularly impressive was Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled a 15th over that cost only six runs and claimed a wicket. He then bowled a 17th over that conceded just seven runs and removed Shahrukh Khan.

As a result of the tactic, Chahar and Hardik were left to close out after Bumrah and Trent Boult both finished their periods early in the chase for wickets. Due to the weather and match-up concerns, spinners Will Jacks and Karn Sharma, who together bowled only three overs, were not selected for the final over.

During Gujarat’s middle-order assault, young Ashwani performed excellently as a concussion replacement for Corbin Bosch, taking two wickets and applying brakes. On a night that ended disappointingly for MI, his performance was one of the few bright spots.

“We had control over this game,” Jayawardene said. “Under pressure, a few bad plays cost us, but we made some wise decisions with the ball. Who bowled wasn’t the point. We just didn’t complete the task.