Who will replace Mahela Jayawardene as Mumbai Indians coach?

Mumbai Indians will need a new head coach for IPL 2027 after Mahela Jayawardene stepped down on Saturday, October 17, ending his second spell in charge of the five-time champions.

He had returned to the role in October 2024 to replace Mark Boucher.

The exit comes after a miserable IPL 2026 for the franchise, who won only four of their 14 league games and finished ninth. That was a sharp fall from the previous year, when Mumbai reached Qualifier 2, and it leaves them with plenty to fix before the new season.

The clock is already ticking, with retention and release lists due on November 15 and the IPL 2027 mini-auction reportedly set for December 16 in Goa. Reports suggest Mumbai has drawn up a shortlist of candidates, although the franchise has not yet announced who will take over.

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Why did Mahela Jayawardene step down as Mumbai Indians coach?

Mumbai Indians and Jayawardene parted ways, and Times of India reported that the decision was mutual and was aimed at bringing a fresh perspective to the camp for the next season.

The franchise has not given any further reason, and its official statements mostly focused on thanking him.

The results of the 2026 season played a part in the timing. Mumbai ended with eight points and a net run rate of minus 0.584, and they missed the playoffs, while Hardik Pandya was unavailable for some games, and both Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah had to captain the side.

In his statement, Jayawardene said Mumbai Indians had been "a very special part of my journey for over a decade now." Owner Nita Ambani praised his "calm leadership, integrity and deep love for the game", while the franchise said he had been "much more than a Head Coach."

The news also arrived at a time when several media reports have claimed that Rohit Sharma will be given the captaincy for IPL 2027, although neither the franchise nor Jayawardene has linked the two developments, and no change of captain has been confirmed.

Mumbai Indians record, titles under Mahela Jayawardene

Jayawardene was appointed head coach for IPL 2017, and Mumbai won the title in his very first season before adding two more trophies in 2019 and 2020.

Those three wins make up more than half of the franchise's five IPL titles, although they missed the playoffs in 2018 and 2021.

His first spell ended with Mumbai finishing last in 2022, after which Boucher took charge for two seasons. Jayawardene came back in October 2024 once Mumbai had finished tenth in IPL 2024, and he guided them to fourth place in 2025 before the slump in 2026.

Mumbai Indians IPL results under Mahela Jayawardene

Who can replace Mahela Jayawardene as the Mumbai Indians coach?

Mumbai Indians have not announced a successor, but NDTV reported that the franchise has shortlisted five former internationals and plans to interview them in the coming days.

• Michael Hussey - The former Australia batter spent nine years as Chennai Super Kings' batting coach before leaving the role after Zaheer Khan took over as their head coach.
• Aaron Finch - He captained Australia to the T20 World Cup title and played for several IPL franchises, although he has limited formal coaching experience.
• Adrian Birrell - He has built a coaching career across different teams and competitions and guided Sunrisers Eastern Cape to three SA20 titles.
• Mark Boucher - He was Mumbai's head coach in 2023 and 2024, taking the team to Qualifier 2 in his first year before they finished tenth in his second.
• Eoin Morgan - The former England captain led his country to the 2019 ODI World Cup title and captained Kolkata Knight Riders, but he has not held a long-term head coach role.

The franchise has not confirmed the list, and no date has been given for the appointment.

Boucher is the only name on the list who has already coached Mumbai, while the other four have never been the club's head coach. Whoever gets the job will have very little time to prepare, with the retention deadline and the mini-auction both coming up fast.