Mumbai Indians Name Robin Uthappa Batting Coach and Mitchell McClenaghan Bowling Coach for IPL 2027

What happened

Mumbai Indians have reshaped the coaching team around their new head coach, Kieron Pollard. In an announcement on 30 October, the five-time IPL champions named Robin Uthappa as batting coach, New Zealand fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan as bowling coach, T. Dilip as fielding coach and Dhawal Kulkarni as development bowling coach.

The appointments follow a week of change at the franchise. Pollard, who had served as MI's batting coach for four seasons, was promoted to his first head coaching role in place of Mahela Jayawardene, according to ESPN and Sporting News. MI then confirmed it had parted ways with bowling coach Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson.

Why people are searching

The most-searched term was simply "bowling coach", much of it in Hindi, as fans looked up who would replace Malinga in one of the most visible roles at India's most-followed franchise. Uthappa's name added interest: he played for Mumbai Indians in the first IPL season in 2008 and is a 2007 T20 World Cup winner with India, but this is his first major coaching job in the league, The Indian Express reported.

Who the new coaches are

• Robin Uthappa, batting coach. A long-time IPL batter who began his IPL career at MI, now returning in a coaching role.
• Mitchell McClenaghan, bowling coach. A left-arm seamer who took 71 wickets in 56 matches for MI, ESPN reported. The franchise says he was part of four title-winning campaigns between 2015 and 2020.
• T. Dilip, fielding coach. According to MI, he worked with the Indian team during the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
• Dhawal Kulkarni, development bowling coach. A former MI seamer who played for the side from 2008 to 2013 and again in 2020 and 2021, winning titles in 2013 and 2020, the franchise said.

What it means for MI

Pollard's group mixes people with deep Mumbai Indians history and people with recent international coaching experience. Three of the four new names, Uthappa, McClenaghan and Kulkarni, have played for the franchise, and Dilip arrives straight from India's senior set-up. The change also marks a clear break from the previous bowling unit led by Malinga and Mhambrey, so how MI's pace attack is shaped for 2027 will be watched closely by fans and analysts alike.

What comes next

The first real test for the new staff is the IPL 2027 mini-auction, scheduled for 16 December in Goa, ESPN reported. Squad retentions and auction strategy will now be shaped by Pollard and his new assistants.