The Mumbai Indians ownership on Wednesday (September 14) handed over new roles to Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan with an objective to build a global cricket legacy for MI.
Earlier, Jayawardene was the head coach of the five-time IPL champions while Zaheer was MI’s Director of Cricket Operations. Now, their roles have been elevated.
“With the expansion of MI #OneFamily which now includes MI Emirates and MI Cape Town along with Mumbai Indians, the team management recognized the need for a central team. This would ensure consistency across the ‘One family of teams’, on ethos, values, and learning, that have made MI one of the most loved cricket brands across the globe. As part of building the structure, two MI veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan with deep knowledge of the MI value system and proven track record, are being elevated to new roles,” MI said in a statement.
The franchise confirmed that Jayawardene has now been appointed as the Global Head of Performance, MI, providing senior leadership of the group’s cricket operations worldwide, including overall strategic planning, the creation of an integrated global high-performance eco-system, as well as responsibility for each team’s coaching and support structures, working closely with the team head coaches to ensure synergies, a consistent brand of cricket, and implementation of best practices set by MI.
On the other hand, Zaheer has been appointed as the Global Head of Cricket Development, MI and will be responsible for player development, building on MI’s robust program around talent identification and grooming and adopting the same across geographies, which has been core to MI’s philosophy and success.
“It is an absolute honour for me to lead MI’s global cricket operations. Mrs. Ambani and Akash’s leadership and guidance have made MI the most valued global cricket franchise and I am very happy to see MI grow globally. I look forward to this new responsibility to build a strong cohesive global brand of cricket,” Jayawardene was quoted as saying in MI’s press release.
Speaking on the development, Zaheer said: “I am humbled to take on this new role and thank Mrs. Nita Ambani and Akash for their faith in me. MI has been home for me as a player and as a coaching team member, and now as we embark on a new journey, I look ahead to working closely with all the stakeholders in the global network to unearth new potential that can join the family.”
(mumbaiindians.com inputs)
