New Delhi, 30 October (H.S.): Mumbai Indians have undertaken a major overhaul of their coaching staff ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, appointing former India batter Robin Uthappa as batting coach and T. Dilip as fielding coach under newly appointed head coach Kieron Pollard.

The franchise has also named former New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan as its bowling coach, while Dhawal Kulkarni has been entrusted with the responsibility of development bowling coach.

The changes follow Mumbai Indians' decision to part ways with Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson. Malinga had served as the franchise's bowling coach since 2024, while Hopkinson was in charge of the fielding department.

For Uthappa, the appointment marks his first stint as a member of an IPL team's coaching staff. He retired from the IPL after the 2022 season. He had represented Mumbai Indians during the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008, featuring regularly in the playing XI. He was subsequently involved in a trade arrangement with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which included Zaheer Khan moving to Mumbai Indians.

McClenaghan, meanwhile, has been a significant contributor to Mumbai Indians' title-winning campaigns. The left-arm New Zealand pacer represented the franchise between 2015 and 2020, claiming 71 wickets in 56 matches. He played a key role in the team's championship triumphs in 2015, 2017 and 2019 and was also part of the squad that successfully defended its title in 2020, although he did not feature in a match that season. He also served as bowling coach of MI Emirates in the ILT20 in 2024, when the team went on to win the tournament.

T. Dilip has established a strong reputation through his work as the fielding coach of the Indian men's cricket team. He was part of the coaching group during India's victories at three major ICC events — the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups and the 2025 Champions Trophy. He also worked with the team during Rohit Sharma's tenure as captain. His appointment at Mumbai Indians will see him reunite with Rohit in the franchise setup.

Kulkarni is another familiar face in the Mumbai Indians dressing room. He represented the franchise during the first six seasons of the IPL and was part of the team that secured its maiden title in 2013. He subsequently returned to the squad for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Apart from Mumbai Indians, the former India fast bowler also represented Rajasthan Royals and the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in the IPL.

During his international career, Kulkarni played 12 One-Day Internationals and two T20 Internationals for India between 2014 and 2016.

Mumbai Indians said Kulkarni would have a year-round role, ensuring continuity in the franchise's player-development programme and helping strengthen its pool of emerging bowling talent.

With Pollard at the helm, the revamped coaching group will face its first major assignment in preparing the player-retention list ahead of the December auction. The franchise will now have to work on its strategy and squad composition for the upcoming IPL season.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar