Who will replace Mahela Jayawardene as MI's head coach?
What's the story
Mumbai Indians (MI) are hunting for a new head coach after Mahela Jayawardene's departure. According to a Cricbuzz report, former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has ruled himself out of contention. The 53-year-old previously held the position for Rajasthan Royals. The report added that the former Indian captain wants to focus on his family and sons' careers.
Unavailability
Gilchrist, Morgan also unavailable
Former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist and England's Eoin Morgan, both rumored to be in the running for MI's head coach role, are also unavailable.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) management has been informed of their unavailability.
This leaves MI with a tough task of finding a suitable replacement for Jayawardene, whose contract was set to expire soon.
Coaching change
MI part ways with Jayawardene
The MI officials met on Friday and decided to part ways with Jayawardene.
He served as the franchise's head coach in two stints - from 2017 to 2022 and then from 2024 to 2026.
The franchise has left it to the new coach whether to retain existing support staff members whose contracts have either expired or are due soon.
Departure
Jayawardene won three titles with MI
Jayawardene has been instrumental in MI's success, winning three titles (2017, 2019, and 2020) in a decade-long journey.
Nita Ambani praised his contribution, saying, "His calm leadership, integrity and deep love for the game have meant so much to us."
Jayawardene said he leaves with pride in their achievements together and will always cherish MI.
Candidates
Who are the potential candidates?
Mike Hussey, who recently parted ways with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has reached out to IPL franchises.
Although he is said to be eyeing a role in Australia, he could also consider an IPL gig.
As per Cricbuzz, other potential candidates include South Africa's Adrian Birrell and Australia's Aaron Finch.
However, Birrell is currently one of the most sought-after coaches in franchise cricket and may not be interested in moving to an IPL franchise.