Mumbai Indians announce Mark Boucher as new head coach

The Mumbai Indians on Friday announced former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher as their new head coach. The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions said that Boucher will take over "starting with" the 2023 edition of the IPL.

"It is an honor and privilege to be appointed as Head Coach of MI. Their history and achievements as a franchise clearly put them up there as one of the most successful sporting franchises in all of world sport," said Boucher. "I look forward to the challenge and respect the need for results. It's a strong unit with great leadership and players. I look forward to adding value to this dynamic unit."

Boucher, who is currently the South Africa men's team's head coach, had earlier abruptly announced that he will be leaving the position after the upcoming T20 World Cup. A former long-serving wicketkeeper for the Proteas, Boucher has been head coach since December 2019 and led a young South African side to the top of the World Test Championship standings before their recent 2-1 series loss in England.

MI recently revamped their current coaching setup, which was followed by the hiring of additional support staff. Zaheer Khan, who served as the director of cricket operations up until last season, has been promoted to the position of global head of cricket development, replacing Mahela Jayawardene, who has been the head coach of the Mumbai Indians since 2017. Both of them will be involved with the group's three teams.

Boucher served as the wicketkeeping coach for the Knight Riders for the 2016 IPL, despite the fact that he may not have much experience coaching in the T20 franchise circuit. He has previously played for both the Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers.