Mumbai Indians appoints South Africa's record-holding wicket-keeper Mark Boucher as head coach

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday appointed South African legend, the record-holding wicket-keeper Mark Boucher as their head coach starting with Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

Boucher will take over from former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, who has elevated to broader role as global head of performance of the franchise.

Jayawardene served as head coach of MI since 2017. Under hsi guidance, MI have won three IPL titles.

Boucher has had a long and illustrious career as a wicket-keeper, batsman and hold 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 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 said.

Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, the owners of Mumbai Indians 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.' (UNI)