Mumbai Indians have named Robin Uthappa batting coach and added Mitchell McClenaghan, T Dilip and Dhawal Kulkarni to Kieron Pollard’s backroom team for IPL 2027, while Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson leave in a significant reshaping of the five-time champions’ support staff.
The franchise confirmed the changes on Friday, completing the coaching group that will work under Pollard, who has replaced Mahela Jayawardene as head coach. Four coaches arrive and three depart, and the new-look staff leans heavily on people who already know the Mumbai dressing room.
Who comes in
Uthappa takes the batting role. The former India batter was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squad and played for Mumbai in the first IPL season in 2008, before spells with several other franchises that included two title wins elsewhere. He finished his IPL career with 4,952 runs and has now moved into a coaching post at one of his old clubs.
McClenaghan, the former New Zealand left-arm seamer, becomes bowling coach. He played for Mumbai from 2015 to 2020 and was part of four title-winning campaigns. T Dilip takes charge of fielding after his time on India’s coaching staff, a period that included the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cup wins and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Kulkarni, the former India pacer who represented Mumbai in two separate spells, is the development bowling coach, with a brief centred on nurturing young Indian bowlers.
Who goes out
Malinga and Mhambrey, both bowling coaches, have parted ways with the franchise, as has fielding coach Carl Hopkinson. Mumbai thanked all three for their commitment and service in an official statement. No reasons for the exits were given in the reports of the announcement.
Malinga’s association with the club dates back to his playing days in 2009, and Mhambrey served the franchise from 2010 to 2017 before returning in 2024, so the departures remove two familiar figures from the bowling group.
A busy season for IPL staffs
Mumbai are not the only franchise reworking their backroom ahead of the new season. Chennai Super Kings rebuilt their staff around Zaheer Khan earlier this week, and Delhi Capitals had already named Sourav Ganguly head coach for IPL 2027.
What it means for Pollard
For Pollard, the appointments hand him a staff assembled around Mumbai’s own history: three of the four new coaches have played for the franchise. The next test is how quickly the new group settles before the IPL 2027 preparations begin in earnest.
