Mahela Jayawardene has stepped down as the Mumbai Indians head coach in order to take up a broader role as the franchise's global head of performance. In his new position, Jayawardene will oversee the coaching and scouting at all the three teams the franchise owners now have - Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI Emirates in the ILT20, and MI Cape Town in the SA20. Zaheer Khan, earlier the director of cricket operations, is now the global head of cricket development for the three teams.As part of building the structure, two MI veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan with deep knowledge of the MI value system and proven track record, are being elevated to new roles. Mahela Jayawardene has been appointed as the Global Head of Performance, MI, providing senior leadership of the group’s cricket operations worldwide, including overall 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 closely with the team head coaches to ensure synergies, a consistent brand of cricket, and implementation of best practices set by MI, a statement issued by the five-time IPL champions informed.
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan has been appointed as the Global Head of Cricket Development, MI and will be responsible for player development, building on 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. Each geography comes with its unique set of challenges and Zaheer’s elevated role will play an important role helping MI teams across the globe.“I’m happy to have Mahela and Zak as part of our global core team. Both have been an integral part of the MI family and embody the spirit of the cricket MI stands for. I’m confident that they would be able to ensure the same flows through all our teams globally and make a difference in the cricketing ecosystems across the globe,” Akash. M. Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said.Jayawardene said that it would be an ‘honour’ to lead MI’s global cricket operations. “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,” Jayawardene was quoted a saying in the statement.“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, I look ahead to working closely with all the stakeholders in the global network to unearth new potential that can join the family,” Zaheer Khan said.
