Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene has been brought back at the helm of the coaching staff at Mumbai Indians as he replaces South Africa's Mark Boucher ahead of IPL 2025. Under Boucher, MI finished last in the IPL points table in 2024 with Hardik Pandya as captain.
Jayawardene has served in the role of the head coach previously at MI from 2017 to 2022 before becoming the global head of performance at the MI franchise worldwide. "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," Jayawardene said in a statement.
"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," he added. Boucher has helped Mumbai Indians win IPL titles three times during his tenure - in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Notably, Boucher was the head coach of the franchise in IPL 2023 and 2024. The five-time champions made it to the playoffs in 2023, when they went down in the second qualifier to Gujarat Titans. In 2024, the MI side won only four of the 14 games and finished last in the standings.
Speaking on the move of bringing Jayawardene back, Akash Ambani said, "We are thrilled to have Mahela back as the Head Coach of Mumbai Indians. 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. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Boucher for his contribution over the last two seasons. His expertise and dedication were pivotal during his time, and has now become an integral member of the MI family."
Jayawardene became the global head of performance of the MI franchise across the world in 2022. Under his broader stint, the franchise bagged trophies MI (WPL), MI NY (MLC) and MIE (ILT20).
