Sri Lanka legend Mahela Jayawardene has stepped down as head coach of Mumbai Indians, having been named Global Head of Performance by the franchise. Zaheer Khan, the director of Cricket Operations, has also been given a new role. The former Indian pacesetter will now become MI’s Global Head of Cricket Development. The two are the central team for the franchise’s “growing global cricket footprint,” Mumbai Indians said in an official release.
The move to give the two former players an elevated role comes amid MI’s expansion into the T20 leagues in South Africa and the UAE.
“The Mumbai Indian property has elevated Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan to new roles with the aim of building a global cricketing legacy for MI,” the franchise wrote in its statement.
“The Mumbai property has elevated Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan to take on new roles with the aim of building a global cricketing legacy for MI,” the statement added.
“As part of building the structure, two MI veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan with deep knowledge of the MI value system and a proven track record, will be elevated to new roles.”
About Jayawardene’s new role, MI wrote: “As part of building the structure, two MI veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan with deep knowledge of the MI value system and a proven track record will be elevated to new roles.”
The statement also said Zaheer Khan will be “responsible for player development, building on MI’s robust program around talent identification and nurturing and applying the same across geographies, which has been core to the philosophy and success of MI. Each geography has its unique set of challenges and Zaheer’s exalted role will play an important role in helping MI teams around the world.”
promoted
“It is an absolute honor for me to lead MI’s global cricket business. Ms Ambani and Akash’s leadership and guidance have made MI the most highly regarded global cricket franchise and I am delighted to see MI growing globally. this new responsibility to build a highly cohesive global cricket brand,” said Jayawardene.
“I am humbled to take on this new role and thank Ms. Nita Ambani and Akash for their trust in me. MI has been a home to me as a player and as a coaching team member, and as we embark on a new journey. Looking forward to working closely with all stakeholders in the global network to discover new potential to join the family,” Zaheer said of his new role.
Topics mentioned in this article
