Nine years stint of Jonty Rhodes with three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians (MI) came to an end. MI has now appointment New Zealander James Pamment as their new fielding coach.

Pamment will replace Rhodes who was an integral part of Mumbai Indians for nine seasons, since 2009 and has now expressed his desire to move on to spend more time on his personal business ventures.

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The South African had a role in MI's successful journey. The owner of franchise Akash Ambani termed Jonty's contribution as 'invaluable' and 'unmeasurable in words'.

"Jonty has been a pillar of strength and energy in Mumbai Indians. His contribution cannot be valued in words. We respect his decision and wish him the best for the future. Jonty will always be a part of Mumbai Indians family for life," he said.

"We are happy to introduce James Pamment to the MI Paltan (MI Fan Army). James is an experienced coach at the international level having worked with New Zealand Cricket as fielding specialist and development. What impressed us was the way James had coached Northern Districts in Champions League T20 in 2014, and to be honest, his sides' fielding unit was one of the best Mumbai Indians had ever faced," he added.

Commenting on his new assignment, Pamment said: "It will be a great challenge and at the same time a privilege to fulfill the duties of a role that was held by someone like Rhodes.

"He (Rhodes) has instilled a brilliant work culture among the players, on and off the field, and the results are out there for everyone to see. Mumbai Indians' is a champion outfit and I am grateful to the team's ownership on giving me this opportunity," he added.

Jonty Rhodes had once commented on the comparison of Virat Kohli with former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. "Virat has started his career very well. His prolific run-scoring is incredible. He has made a lot of runs at a young age. Kohli must be just Kohli and should not be compared with Tendulkar," he had said.