Robin Uthappa returns to Mumbai Indians as batting coach, says side must earn fans' trust
Robin Uthappa has returned to Mumbai Indians as batting coach, and in an interview published on 30 October 2026 he said the five-time champions must win back supporters after finishing ninth in the 10-team IPL table last season. "Today, we find ourselves back in that similar situation right now where the trust of the fans need to be earned again. We come in again as underdogs. It's been one full cycle, and we're back to where we started again, which is nice," Uthappa said in an interview with the franchise's website.
Uthappa began his IPL career with Mumbai Indians in the competition's inaugural 2008 season and described his return as completing a full circle. He scored 320 runs in 14 matches that year at an average of 35.55 and a strike rate of 114.69 and recalled learning of his MI selection while he was in Australia with the Indian team for the CB Series. "I knew that I was going to be playing with my hero, Sachin Paaji over here. So for me, that was really exciting," he said, adding: "I started my IPL career with Mumbai Indians and I start my IPL coaching career with Mumbai Indians, which seems like destiny to me."
Uthappa said rebuilding the side must include translating Mumbai's home authority to away grounds and described the atmosphere he wants his team to create on the road. "We're a force to reckon with at home. I want to take that same emotion, that same energy to every venue away from home. My goal would be to make sure that that sense of intimidation that teams feel when they come to Mumbai Indians, to the Paltan, I want them to feel that same intimidation when we go away from home as well," he said.
Winning back supporters is central to Uthappa's brief, and he framed the club's underdog position as a challenge to reconnect with fans. He said he wants the team to rebuild its relationship with the Paltan and to make the underdog journey one that supporters can remember.
A stated priority for Uthappa is to empower domestic cricketers by helping them gain role clarity and an understanding of the processes required for success. "I would love to empower domestic cricketers and help them get clarity. That's one of the most important aspects that the young cricketers need at this point in time, clarity of what they want to do, how they want to do it, and what is the process by which they're going to achieve those aspects," he said.
Uthappa described coaching as extending beyond technical instruction and recounted an emotional moment from his mentoring work when a player he had helped was selected for the Indian Test squad. "I remember when one of the lads I was working with and mentoring got picked up in the Indian Test squad, it felt like I got selected. It felt that emotional," he said.
Across his IPL career Uthappa represented six franchises, won titles with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and Chennai Super Kings in 2021, and finished with 4,952 runs from 205 IPL matches.
His immediate task is to help Mumbai Indians recover from a difficult season; he has set out to restore the team's fear factor, develop domestic talent and bring the Paltan back on its side.
