Jayawardene appointed as Mumbai Indians head coach, takes over from Boucher

Mumbai Indians have announced the return of former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene as their head coach for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. Jayawardene will be taking over the coaching duties from Mark Boucher, who led the team to a disappointing last-place finish in IPL 2024.

Jaywardene 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 statement. "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."

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.

Jayawardene is among the most successful coaches in T20 cricket, having led Mumbai alone to three titles during his first tenure.

"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."

Under Boucher, Mumbai made the playoffs in IPL 2023, when they lost the second qualifier to Gujarat Titans, but in the next season they finished at the bottom of the points table, with just four wins in 14 games.

Jayawardene's first task in his second stint as head coach will be to finalise Mumbai's retentions ahead of the deadline on October 31.

In addition to coaching in the IPL, Jayawardene has been in charge of teams in the Hundred (Southern Brave) and Bangladesh Premier League (Khulna Titans). 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.

More to follow...