Robin Uthappa and T Dilip headline a major overhaul of the Mumbai Indians coaching staff under newly appointed head coach Kieron Pollard. Uthappa, who represented MI in the inaugural IPL season in 2008, has been appointed batting coach ahead of IPL 2027, while Dilip takes over as fielding coach after spending nearly five years in the same role with the Indian men’s team.
The franchise has also brought two more former players into its support staff, appointing Mitchell McClenaghan as bowling coach and Dhawal Kulkarni as development bowling coach. The appointments come after MI parted ways with Lasith Malinga, who had served as their bowling coach since IPL 2024, along with Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach Carl Hopkinson.
Uthappa’s appointment marks his first coaching assignment with an IPL franchise. He retired from the league after the 2022 season. A regular in MI’s playing XI during the inaugural 2008 edition, Uthappa was later involved in one of the IPL’s earliest player trades, moving to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in exchange for Zaheer Khan.
McClenaghan, the former New Zealand left-arm fast bowler, played a key role in three of MI’s title-winning campaigns in 2015, 2017 and 2019, claiming 71 wickets in 56 appearances for the franchise. He was also part of the squad during their successful title defence in 2020, although he did not feature in a match. McClenaghan previously served as MI Emirates’ bowling coach during the 2024 ILT20 season, helping the franchise clinch the title.
Dilip rose to prominence as the fielding coach of the Indian men’s team, being part of three ICC title-winning campaigns — the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups and the 2025 Champions Trophy. His stint with the national side coincided with Rohit Sharma’s tenure as captain, and he will now reunite with the veteran batter at Mumbai Indians.
Kulkarni, meanwhile, represented MI during the first six seasons of the IPL and was part of the franchise’s maiden title-winning campaign in 2013. He returned for another stint in 2020 and 2021. Across his 92-match IPL career, the former India pacer also represented Rajasthan Royals and the now-defunct Gujarat Lions. At the international level, he featured in 12 ODIs and two T20Is between 2014 and 2016.
In a statement, MI said Kulkarni would take up a year-round role, ensuring continuity in the franchise’s performance programme while providing consistent support for player development and strengthening its talent pool.
The new-look coaching staff’s first major assignment under Pollard will be to finalise Mumbai Indians’ player retentions ahead of the IPL 2027 auction, scheduled for December.
