Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist, and Eoin Morgan are not in the race for the Mumbai Indians head coach job. A source said, “He wants to focus on his family and his sons’ careers.” The franchise parted ways with Mahela Jayawardene on Friday, and the search for a new coach started.
Now that Mahela Jayawardene is out of the Mumbai Indians setup, the obvious question is: who next? There has been intense speculation linking Rahul Dravid to the five-time champions, but Cricbuzz can confirm that the former India coach, who led the team to the T20 World Cup title in 2024, and final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, is not in contention. He has ruled himself out, at least for another season.
“He wants to focus on his family and his sons’ (Samit and Anvay) careers,” said a source. Dravid was flooded with offers after he quit Rajasthan Royals ahead of the 2026 season, but he has steadfastly resisted the temptation of the riches on offer in the IPL. At some stage, he may be ready to return, but it will not be next season.
The same goes for Adam Gilchrist of Australia and Eoin Morgan of England, both of whom have been mentioned as possible candidates. Neither, however, is available and they are believed to have made clear to the IPL managements.
There is, therefore, no clear indication yet of who could replace Jayawardene, whose contract with the franchise was due to expire soon. The MI officials, otherwise occupied with the Jio IPO scheduled for later this month, met on Friday evening and decided to part ways with the Sri Lankan, who served as the franchise’s head coach across two stints — first from 2017 to 2022 and then from 2024 to 2026.
The Mumbai Indians officials, it is understood, have left it to the new coach to decide whether to retain the other members of the existing support staff — Lasith Malinga and Paras Mhambrey (both bowling), Kieron Pollard (batting) and Carl Hopkinson (fielding). Their contracts have either expired or are due to end in the next couple of months. Sources say the interview process is likely to begin soon.
Mike Hussey, who recently parted ways with Chennai Super Kings, has reached out to IPL franchises, and it would not be surprising if he has contacted the MI management as well. Hussey, it is learnt, turned down an offer to join the England setup under Stephen Fleming and may instead be eyeing a role in Australia. However, he is believed to be open to another IPL gig.
The other two potential candidates are South Africa’s Adrian Birrell and Australia’s Aaron Finch. Birrell is currently one of the most sought-after coaches in franchise cricket world over. He has guided Sunrisers Eastern Cape to three titles and four finals in four SA20 seasons and also led Sunrisers Leeds Women to the final of The Hundred earlier this year. A notable former India player is also on the radar of multiple IPL franchises.
Birrell is also the head coach of Sharjah Warriorz in the ILT20, but he is apparently not interested in moving to an IPL franchise. Should he change his mind, a few IPL teams, including MI, could consider him. As for Finch, the former Australia captain is believed to have held talks with a few IPL teams, although there is no immediate information on whether he has engaged with MI. Hussey, Birrell and Finch, however, are on the radar of several IPL franchises, including MI.
In a journey across ten seasons, Jayawardene helmed three of MI’s five title wins (2017, 2019 and 2020). Hailing his significant contribution, Nita Ambani said: "His calm leadership, integrity and deep love for the game have meant so much to us."
The former Sri Lanka captain said: “I leave with immense pride in what we have achieved together and will always carry a special place in my heart for MI. I wish the team every success in the years ahead."