The five-time Indian Premier League winners Mumbai Indians on Sunday announced roping in former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene as their head coach with a major overhaul on the horizon with a mega auction to follow.

Jayawardene has had a similar role with the franchise from 2017-2022 and oversaw their title-winning campaigns in 2017, 2019 and 2020-21.

Jayawardene replaces former South African wicketkeeper-batter Mark Boucher who had a two-year stint as MI’s head coach in 2023 and 2024.

Mumbai Indians qualified for the knockouts in the 2023 edition but endured a poor run this year, finishing last with only four wins in 14 matches.

“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 release issued by the franchise.

“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.

Jayawardene became MI’s global head of cricket and saw the expansion of the franchise’s other teams. He worked with the coaching staff as MI (WPL), MI NY (MLC) and MIW (ILT20) won a trophy each.

"With our global teams having found their footing within their ecosystems, the opportunity to bring him back to MI arose," said team owner Akash Ambani.

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