Legendary Sri Lankan batter and one of the most successful coaches in the history of T20 franchise cricket, Mahela Jayawardene has been recalled into the Mumbai Indians side after a gap of 2-years from the IPL.
Every possible IPL franchise has made proper changes to their coaching staff before they set to announce their retention list ahead of the mega-auction. The likes of World Cup-winning Indian coach, Rahul Dravid has been appointed in the role of head coach for Rajasthan Royals. Ricky Ponting left his stint with the Delhi Capitals and now has joined the Punjab Kings setup.
While also CSK veteran player turned bowling consultant now has a bigger role as the head coach of the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, after Dwayne Bravo announced his retirement from all forms of competitive cricket.
Mahela Jayawardene holds an immense legacy for the Mumbai Indians, as he became their most successful head coach with 3 IPL titles in 2017, 2019 and 2020, amid the long period of 6-seasons when he was the head coach of the franchise.
In 2022, he was sent into a larger scale role of a global head of performance, as he was made the head of scouting for all of the Mumbai Indians franchise teams in – MI Emirates in the ILT20, MI New York in Major League Cricket, Mumbai Indians in IPL and lastly the MI Cape Town in SA20.
“We are thrilled to have Mahela back as the head coach of Mumbai Indians,” Akash Ambani, owner of the franchise, said. “With our global teams having found their footing within their ecosystems, the opportunity to bring him back to MI arose. His leadership, knowledge, and passion for the game have always benefited MI.”
Owing to their last position finish changes Mumbai Indians might make to their Squad
After a disappointing season with Mahela Jayawardene in IPL 2022, he was replaced by Mark Boucher for the position as the head coach of the IPL franchise in 2023. Despite two miserable seasons, Boucher led the Mumbai Indians to the knockouts in IPL 2023.
On their quest for the sixth IPL title, the Mumbai Indians fell short in the second qualifier game against the defending champions Gujarat Titans in 2022. Hence, the Titans won against the Mumbai Indians in 2023, as a result, Boucher was restored for the role in the following season as well when Mumbai finished in the last spot of the points table.
With every IPL franchise and also the likes of the Mumbai Indians being assigned with a surpassing amount of 20 Crores INR, collectively now they have INR 120 Crores, among which the BCCI has set certain standards for retention of players.
Currently announced Indian skipper, Suryakumar Yadav can be ideally set to be the most high-priority retained player in the squad, with also the Mumbai Indians having a powerhouse of talent in Hardik Pandya who was seen in the role of a captain last time around.
Other than SKY, also the likes of Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma and the ace Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah might be retained on the side as well. Though some of the great batters, Rohit Sharma, the IPL veteran and big-hitter Tim David while also their costliest player bought in an auction, Ishan Kishan might be released ahead of the mega-auction.
