Mumbai, October 14
Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene, returning to the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) for another stint as head coach ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, said he enjoyed the 2017 and 2019 title wins with the team the most because of the character and calmness showed by the players throughout the final.
MI announced the appointment of Jayawardene as the head coach for the next season, a position he previously held from 2017 to 2022. He has replaced South African legend Mark Boucher, who coached the franchise for two seasons.
Speaking to MITV exclusively after his appointment, he was excited about his homecoming.
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Jayawardene had a vastly successful first stint as head coach of Mumbai Indians from 2017 to 2022, winning three titles in the IPL in 2017, 2019 and 2020. Picking his favourite memories, he said, "The two championships that we won, 2017 (a one run win against Rising Pune Supergiant while defending 130 runs) and 2019 (a one-run win over Chennai Super Kings while defending 150 runs), they were unbelievable games. The character the guys showed, the calmness out there in the middle, decision-making, it was unbelievable. I still remember the joy in the dugout, the guys running onto the field and enjoying the moment. I obviously would stand still for a minute because they were new experiences for me. It is amazing. It is tough but those are the finer moments. I truly enjoyed those two wins because they were unique."
Jayawardene acknowledged the support of MI Paltan, the fan army of Mumbai Indians and said it was important to show pride in playing for MI. "We are responsible for putting them through that rollercoaster but they are the genuine fans. I know they are always going to support us as long as we show that hunger, that passion and value to play for Mumbai."
Jayawardene was excited to link up again with MI fan favourites Lasith Malinga and Kieron Pollard (now bowling and batting coaches), having previously coached them with a lot of success in his first stint. "Lasith and Polly are two amazing individuals. They bring a wealth of experience and are true and true MI players," Jayawardene said.
MI are five-time champions in the IPL. They have won 10 titles across various leagues across the world.
MI is a global cricketing force, with five T20 teams spanning three continents, and four countries including both men and women. The year 2023 marked a pivotal moment for the MI family, as it established Mumbai Indians in the women's Premier League, along with MI Cape Town in SA20, MI Emirates in ILT20, and MI New York in MLC, as per the press release by MI.
Since its inception in 2008, Mumbai Indians has been one of the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League.
Though, MI finished at the bottom in the last season, where they could only manage 4 wins and 10 losses under captaincy of a returning star Hardik Pandya.