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Four-time IPL champion Mitchell McClenaghan of the
Mumbai Indians has been named bowling coach of MI Emirates, their ILT20
affiliate. McClenaghan last played professionally in 2021, so this will be his
first significant position as a coach. In 48 ODIs and 29 T20Is, he took 82 and
30 wickets as a representative of New Zealand.
McClenaghan will report to Robin Singh, who was MI
Emirates’ general manager during the ILT20’s inaugural season before being
named head coach. Singh, who resigned from his position as UAE men’s coach last
year, takes Shane Bond’s place at Paarl Royals in the SA20 after Bond quit
Mumbai’s worldwide network.
Ajay Jadeja, who coached Afghanistan at the 2023 World
Cup, has also joined MI Emirates’ backroom staff as the team’s batting coach.
James Franklin, the fielding coach, and Vinay Kumar, the assistant coach, will
stay in their positions from the ILT20’s first season.
Nicholas Pooran, who just signed with MI Emirates
after a brief time with Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20, will lead the team
this season, the team said. They won’t have Kieron Pollard, who took over as MI
Cape Town captain after Rashid Khan was injured and guided them to a
third-place result the previous season.
Before the 2024 season begins on January 19, a number
of other ILT20 teams have made coaching changes. Due to serve as his assistant,
Johan Botha replaced Paul Farbrace at Sharjah Warriors with fellow countryman
JP Duminy. Moeen Ali is replaced as captain by English wicketkeeper-batter Tom
Kohler-Cadmore.
In other news, Hemang Badani succeeded Phil Simmons as
the coach of the Dubai Capitals. Badani, who has recently worked with the
Sunrisers teams in both the IPL and the SA20, recently coached India Capitals
in the Legends League, who like Dubai Capitals are owned by GMR Group.
The defending champion Gulf Giants will continue to be
coached by Andy Flower, while the Desert Vipers, who finished second last
season, will continue to be coached by James Foster. The Abu Dhabi Knight
Riders, who had Abhishek Nayar as their coach the previous season, have not yet
revealed who would lead them in 2024.