IPL: Mumbai Indians Appoint Former South Africa Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher As New Head Coach | Cricket News

Mumbai Indians on Friday confirmed the appointment of former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Mark Boucher as their new head coach, starting with Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Earlier this week, Cricket South Africa (CSA) had confirmed that Boucher would step down as the head coach of the men’s senior team after the upcoming T20 World Cup slated to be played in October-November in Australia.

Boucher has had a long and illustrious career as a wicket-keeper, batsman and holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. Post-retirement he took over as coach for Titans, a top-level cricket franchise in South Africa, and led them to five domestic titles.

In 2019, Cricket South Africa appointed Mark Boucher as the head coach where he crafted 11 Test wins, 12 in ODIs and 23 T20I victories.

“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. 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 stated in an official media release, issued by Mumbai Indians.

Promoted

Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Mark Boucher to Mumbai Indians. With his proven expertise on the field and off it as a coach guiding his team to numerous victories, Mark will add immense value to MI and take forward its legacy.”

Earlier this week, former Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene was ppointed Global Head of Performance by the franchise. Zaheer Khan, who was the Director of Cricket Operations, has also been given a new role. The former India pacer will now be MI’s Global Head of Cricket Development. The two form the central team for the franchise’s “growing global cricket footprint”, Mumbai Indians had said in an official release.