Mumbai Indians ownership has handed global roles to head coach Mahela Jayawardene and director of cricket operations Zaheer Khan as the franchise aims to build its central team on the global platform. Mumbai Indians have now expanded its umbrella and own two more teams- MI Emirates and MI Cape Town. Jayawardene has been appointed as the franchise's Global head of performance, while Khan will be the new Global head of cricket development for MI' three teams. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians will get a new head coach for the IPL.
In a statement released by MI, the franchise said, "With the expansion of Mumbai Indians One Family which now includes the MI Emirates and MI Cape Town along with the Mumbai Indians, the team management recognized the need for a central team. This would ensure consistency across the ‘One family of teams’, on ethos, values, and learning, that have made MI one of the most loved cricket brands across the globe."
It also clarified the new roles of the veteran cricketers. "Mahela Jayawardene has been appointed as the Global Head of Performance, MI, providing senior leadership of the group’s cricket operations globally, including complete strategic planning, the creation of an integrated global high-performance eco-system, as well as responsibility for each team’s coaching and support structures, working in proximity with the team head coaches to ensure synergies, a consistent brand of cricket, and implementation of best practices set by MI," the statement added.
Khan has been given the responsibility of "player development, building MI's robust program around talent identification and grooming and adopting the same across geographies, which has been core to MI’s philosophy and success."
After being elevated to the newer roles, both the stars thanked the team owners while Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm said that he is happy to have Mahela and Zaheer as part of MI's global core team.
Jayawardene and Khan have been one of the most important members of the franchise that has seen such great success in the IPL. Jayawardene joined the team as the head coach in 2017 and has helped the Rohit Sharma-led side in lifting three IPL trophies. Khan joined the team in 2018 and has provided his crucial support to the franchise.
The two new teams MI Emirates and MI Cape Town will be taking part in the International league T20 of UAE and the SA20 League of South Africa, respectively. The tournaments are slated to begin in 2023.
