Published:
Mumbai Indians have confirmed that Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach Carl Hopkinson are moving on from their roles in the men’s team coaching setup, the franchise announced on Thursday, October 29. The departures mark another major change ahead of IPL 2027, following the appointment of former Mumbai captain Kieron Pollard as head coach after Mahela Jayawardene’s exit.
The franchise thanked all three for their service but did not announce replacements in its statement. The changes come after Mumbai finished ninth in the 2026 IPL season, missing the playoffs for the fourth time in six editions, according to Reuters.
Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Malinga is among the most influential players in Mumbai Indians’ history. He represented the franchise from 2009 to 2019, taking 170 wickets in 122 IPL appearances, and played a key role in four IPL title wins. He was also part of Mumbai’s Champions League T20-winning team in 2011.
After his playing career, Malinga returned to the franchise in mentoring and coaching roles, maintaining an association that extended well beyond his time as a player. Mumbai’s statement described him as an integral part of the franchise and praised his competitive spirit and contribution to successive generations of players.
His departure is significant because Mumbai are rebuilding their support staff before the next season. Malinga’s experience in death bowling and his familiarity with the franchise’s playing environment had made him a central figure in its bowling setup. The club has not yet publicly detailed who will take over his responsibilities.
Paras Mhambrey has also had a long relationship with Mumbai Indians. The franchise said he served from 2010 to 2017 and returned in 2024. Cricbuzz also reported that he was associated with the team’s support staff during the inaugural IPL season in 2008.
Mhambrey returned to Mumbai after his stint with the Indian men’s team, which ended after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup. He worked with Mumbai’s bowling resources across the 2025 and 2026 seasons and was also associated with MI Emirates. The franchise thanked him for helping develop bowling talent and for the relationships he built across the organisation.
His exit leaves Mumbai with another coaching role to fill as the team prepares for the next campaign. With Pollard now in charge, the franchise has an opportunity to reshape the staff around a new leadership approach, though the identities of incoming coaches remain unannounced.
Carl Hopkinson joined Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2025 season after working with England’s men’s team. He served as the England and Wales Cricket Board’s lead fielding coach from 2018 to 2024 and was part of the coaching environment during England’s 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup wins, according to published reports.
Mumbai credited Hopkinson with bringing international experience and helping improve the team’s fielding standards. His departure means the franchise will also need to decide how to structure its fielding coaching for IPL 2027. The announcement did not give a specific reason for any of the three exits.
The coaching changes follow Mumbai’s decision to replace Jayawardene with Pollard, who had previously served as a batting coach after his playing career with the franchise. Reuters reported that Mumbai finished ninth in IPL 2026 and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons. That result has increased attention on the franchise’s preparations for the next campaign.
Mumbai remain five-time IPL champions, but the immediate task is to establish a coaching structure capable of improving consistency. The departures of two bowling coaches and a fielding coach suggest a broad reset of the support staff, although the franchise has not publicly set out the full plan or named successors.
The IPL 2027 mini-auction is another milestone on the calendar, with teams expected to finalise their retained players before the auction. Mumbai will need to balance squad decisions with the coaching transition, ensuring that the new staff can work with the available players and identify the roles required for the season.
Mumbai Indians have not announced replacements for Malinga, Mhambrey or Hopkinson. The next development to watch is the confirmation of Pollard’s support staff and how the new group divides responsibility for bowling, fielding and player development. Until those announcements are made, speculation about individual replacements should be treated cautiously.
For Mumbai supporters, the central question is whether the coaching reset can help the franchise return to playoff contention after a disappointing 2026 campaign. The changes are confirmed; the full shape of the new setup is still to come.
For Indian cricket fans, the story is not only about three well-known coaches leaving but also about how a major IPL franchise rebuilds its support structure. Malinga’s record as a Mumbai player and Mhambrey’s long association with the team give the departures historical weight. The next appointments will reveal how Pollard and the franchise plan to prepare for IPL 2027.
