Mahela Jayawardene named Mumbai Indians' head coach

Bengaluru, Nov 18: Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene was today (November 18) appointed as the head coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Mumbai Indians (MI). He replaces former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

On Friday evening, MI announced the new appointment on their official Twitter page. "We welcome one of the most elegant & graceful batsmen of the modern era, @MahelaJay as the new Head Coach of Mumbai Indians. #WelcomeMahela," said the franchise in a tweet.

The 39-year-old Jayawardene played for Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in IPL. During his illustrious international career, he scored over 25,000 runs.

This will be Jayawardene's first full-time job as a coach. Previously he has been a batting consultant with the England team for Test and limited overs series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2015.

We welcome one of the most elegant & graceful batsmen of the modern era, @MahelaJay as the new Head Coach of Mumbai Indians. #WelcomeMahela pic.twitter.com/wFlulxw4iM
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 18, 2016