Mahela Jayawardene, Zaheer Khan elevated to global roles in Mumbai Indians' central team

Mumbai Indians have always invested in developing talents around the country and one of the reasons for their success has been a strong core group from the coaching setup to the players. To enhance the roles of the coaches, Mumbai Indians have elevated Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan who have been part of the setup for a long time now.  

Apart from IPL, Mumbai’s franchise ownerships now include MI Cape Town at the CSA T20 league and MI Emirates in UAE's ILT20 League. In the wake of their expansion, Jayawardene has been appointed as the Global Head of Performance. Jayawardene will now take care of overall strategic planning, the creation of an integrated global high-performance eco-system apart from his usual coaching methods. He has stepped down from the position of Head Coach.

On the other hand, Zaheer will be responsible as the Global Head of Cricket Development and his role will be to work with the talents and groom them into finished products which has been one of the mantras of the MI side.  

I'm confident that they would be able to ensure the same flows through all our teams globally: Akash Ambani 

Mumbai Indians owner, Akash Ambani heaped praise on Jayawardene and Zaheer for their works so far and believed in them sticking to the spirit of cricket. He expects the two global heads to make a difference in the MI system which has been one of the great success stories in the IPL so far.  

“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,” Mr. Akash. M. Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm was quoted as saying by MumbaiIndians.com 

Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, MI said, “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.”

Zaheer Khan as Global Head of Cricket Development, MI said, “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.”