Mumbai Indians have reappointed former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene as their head coach ahead of IPL 2025. Jayawardene replaces Mark Boucher, under whom the franchise peaked in IPL 2024.
Jayawardene had previously served as Mumbai’s head coach from 2017 to 2022.
“My journey within the MI family has always been one of evolution,” Jayawardene said in a comment. “In 2017, the focus was on bringing together a talented group of people to play the best cricket of all time and we did very well. Now, to return, at the same moment in history, where we look to the future and the opportunity to move forward. Strengthening the love for MI, building on the vision of the owners and continuing to contribute to the history of Mumbai Indians is an exciting challenge that I look forward to.”
After his first stint as Mumbai head coach, Jayawardene had taken up a broader role in 2022 as the franchise’s global head of performance. In that role, he oversaw training and scouting at the four teams now owned by franchise owners: Mumbai Indians in IPL, MI Emirates in ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates, MI Cape City in SA20 and MI Unutiled York in MLC in the United States. Joined.
“We are delighted to have Mahela back as the head coach of Mumbai Indians,” franchise owner Akash Ambani said. “As our global teams found their place within their ecosystems, the opportunity arose to bring him back to MI. His leadership, knowledge and passion for the game have always benefited MI.”
Under Boucher, Mumbai made it to the playoffs in IPL 2023, after losing second place to Gujarat Titans, but in the season closer they finished at the bottom of the trouble table with just four wins in 14 games.
Jayawardene’s first job in his second stint as head coach will be to finalize Mumbai’s retentions before the October 31 deadline.
In addition to coaching in the IPL, Jayawardene has been responsible for teams in the Hundred (Southern Courageous) and the Bangladesh Premier League (Khulna Titans). Jayawardene has worked with the Sri Lanka team in different capacities, including a recent stint as a specialist coach. During his tenure, Sri Lanka won the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai.
Each and every franchise will have a purse of INR 120 crore, an increase of INR 20 crore from the final month, to create a team for IPL 2025.
Source link
