Mumbai Indians have announced Mahela Jayawardene as their new Head Coach. Jayawardene was part of the MI camp as the Global Head of Cricket and replaced Mark Boucher as the MI Head Coach. It is worth noting that, the former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was the Head Coach of MI from 2017 to 2022. During his tenure, the team won three titles in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Mahela Jayawardene The veteran was named as the Global Head of Cricket in 2022 and was responsible for overlooking MI’s global teams across different leagues. One of the owners of the MI, Akash Ambani shared the news and added that the leadership, knowledge, and passion of Jayawardene has always been beneficial for the franchise.
Mumbai Indians perfunder Mahela Jayawardene and Mark Boucher
Mumbai Indians have reappointed Mahela Jayawardene as the side’s head coach, the franchise announced on Sunday. Mahela Jayawardene left the role in 2022 to become the franchise’s Global Head of Cricket, overseeing the expansion of MI’s global teams across different leagues. Mark Boucher, the former South African wicketkeeper-batter, held the head coach role during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Mahela Jayawardene began his first head coach stint with MI in 2017, helping the side achieve instant success. Alongside Rohit Sharma, Mahela Jayawardene formed a formidable duo as they lifted three titles together (2017, 2019, and 2021). The Sri Lankan eventually stepped away from coaching duties after the end of the 2022 season, which saw MI finishing at the bottom of the table with only four wins in 14 matches.
After his first stint as Mumbai’s head coach, Jayawardene had taken up a broader role in 2022 as the franchise’s global head of performance. In that role, he oversaw the coaching and scouting at all the four teams the franchise owners now have – Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI Emirates in the UAE’s ILT20, MI Cape Town in the SA20 and MI New York in the USA’s MLC.
Under Boucher, the side improved from the previous season but failed to reach the final, losing the second playoff match to Gujarat Titans. This followed a tumultuous period for MI, as Hardik Pandya was brought back to the franchise and named captain, replacing five-time champion Rohit Sharma.
The decision caused a furor among the franchise’s fanbase, with Hardik being booed throughout MI’s opening few matches at the Wankhede Stadium. The negativity surrounding the decision seemed to have an impact on the side’s performances too, as it finished a dismal 10th for a second time in three seasons.
Mahela Jayawardene opens up on after being elected as MI coach for IPL 2025
Mahela Jayawardene, in his statement upon his return to the franchise as head coach, insisted that he comes at a time when MI will “look ahead at the future.”
The former Sri Lankan captain also likened his return to the time when he first joined the franchise in 2017.
“My journey within the MI family has always been one of evolution. In 2017, the focus was on bringing together a talented group of individuals to play the best cricket ever and we did very well.
Now to return, at the same moment in history, where we look ahead at the future and the opportunity to further strengthen the love of MI, build on the vision of the owners, and continue to add to the history of Mumbai Indians, is an exciting challenge I am looking forward to,” said Jayawardene.
Mahela Jayawardene is among the most successful coaches in T20 cricket, having led Mumbai alone to three titles during his first tenure. Mahela Jayawardene’s first task in his second stint as head coach will be to finalize Mumbai’s retentions ahead of the deadline on October 31.
In addition to coaching in the IPL, Mahela Jayawardene has been in charge of teams in the Hundred (Southern Brave) and Bangladesh Premier League (Khulna Titans). Mahela Jayawardene has worked with the Sri Lanka team in different capacities, including a recent stint as a consultant coach. During his tenure, Sri Lanka had won the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai. Each franchise will have a purse of INR 120 crore, an increment of INR 20 crore from the last time, to build a squad for IPL 2025.