“I look forward to this new responsibility”: Mahela Jayawardene steps down as Mumbai Indians head coach to take global role with MI

Mahela Jayawardene has stepped down as the head coach of Mumbai Indians in IPL to take a global role with the franchise.

Mumbai Indians is the most successful IPL franchise, and their fanbase is one of the strongest in the competition. The last two seasons have not been great for the franchise, but they have made some brilliant young core which will reap them awards in the upcoming seasons of the IPL.

For the first time, the Mumbai Indians franchise has gone global by buying the MI Emirates team in ILT20 League and MI Cape Town in South Africa T20 League. After their global expansion, the franchise has taken some important decisions in their coaching setup as well.

Mahela Jayawardene steps down as Mumbai Indians head coach

Former Sri Lankan batter Mahela Jayawardene has stepped down as the head coach of the Mumbai Indians franchise. He will now take a broader role in the franchise. Jayawardene will be the franchise’s global head of performance, and he will look after the scouting and coaching of all three MI franchises.

Jayawardene has been with the Mumbai Indians for six seasons, and they have won the title in three of them. He is the 2nd most successful IPL coach behind Stephen Fleming (Chennai Super Kings).

“It is an absolute honour for me to lead MI’s global cricket operations. Mrs. Ambani and Akash’s leadership and guidance have made MI the most valued global cricket franchise and I am very happy to see MI grow globally. I look forward to this new responsibility to build a strong cohesive global brand of cricket,” Mahela Jayawardene said.

Apart from Mahela Jayawardene, Zaheer Khan will also switch his role. Khan is appointed as the Global Head of Cricket Development and he will work around talent identification and grooming of players to bring new young talent into the MI setup all over the globe.

“I am humbled to take on this new role and thank Mrs. Nita Ambani and Akash for their faith in me. MI has been home for me as a player and as a coaching team member, and now as we embark on a new journey,” Zaheer Khan said.