Mumbai Indians appoint Robin Uthappa as batting coach in IPL 2027 overhaul

Mumbai Indians announced on October 30, 2026 that former India batter Robin Uthappa has been appointed as their batting coach ahead of the Indian Premier League 2027 season, with a wider coaching reshuffle also confirmed.

The five-time champions said the appointments form part of a major revamp following a disappointing 2026 campaign in which Mumbai finished ninth in the IPL points table. Uthappa returns to the franchise after nearly 18 years; he originally represented Mumbai Indians in the inaugural 2008 IPL season. The club also stated this will be Uthappa’s first major coaching role in the IPL.

During his playing career Uthappa appeared in 14 matches for Mumbai Indians in 2008 and scored 320 runs that season. Across his IPL career he finished with 4,952 runs in 205 matches and played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. His most prolific campaign came in 2014 when he scored 660 runs for KKR and won the Orange Cap, and he was part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squad.

Mitchell McClenaghan has been named bowling coach, T. Dilip will serve as fielding coach and Dhawal Kulkarni takes the role of development bowling coach. The club described McClenaghan as a former New Zealand pacer who represented Mumbai Indians between 2015 and 2020 and was part of four IPL title-winning campaigns. Kulkarni has won two IPL titles with the franchise, in 2013 and 2020.

The appointments follow Kieron Pollard’s promotion to head coach and the departures of Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson. Pollard replaces Mahela Jayawardene, who had previously led the franchise’s coaching setup, according to the club announcement.

Mumbai Indians said they will prepare for the IPL 2027 mini-auction, scheduled for December 16, as they look to build a stronger squad for the next season.