“He used to get smashed a lot during his playing days” - Kris Srikkanth’s scathing statement on new IPL 2027 coach

Kris Srikkanth has questioned Mumbai Indians’ (MI) decision to appoint Mitchell McClenaghan as bowling coach for IPL 2027, and his doubt goes straight to the former New Zealand seamer’s own record with the ball. The franchise confirmed the appointment on October 30 as part of a full support-staff rebuild, and the former India captain is not convinced it is the right call.

MI unveiled four appointments under Kieron Pollard, promoted from batting coach to head coach after Mahela Jayawardene’s exit. Robin Uthappa is the new batting coach, T Dilip arrives as fielding coach, Dhawal Kulkarni is the development bowling coach, and McClenaghan takes the bowling group, after Lasith Malinga, Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson left the setup following a 2026 season in which MI won four of 14 matches and finished ninth.

Talking about MI's overhauled coaching setup, Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka:

"Robin Uthappa will be a good batting coach because he has been very successful in the IPL. He is a highly successful IPL player. So for the IPL, he is the correct guy. As for Mitchell McClenaghan, I am not sure, as he used to get smashed a lot in the IPL during his playing days. T Dilip is also an excellent appointment, as he has done it for India and has worked with Rohit Sharma."

Contrary to Srikkanth's claims, McClenaghan played a vital role in his 56 IPL matches for the franchise between 2015 and 2019, taking 71 wickets at an economy of 8.49 with a best of 4 for 21, and was in the squad for the title wins of 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, without playing a match in the last of those.

Kris Srikkanth backs Rohit Sharma as captain for next season

Kris Srikkanth believes Rohit Sharma will return as MI's captain next IPL season after three disappointing years under Hardik Pandya. Hardik’s three seasons produced a last-place finish in 2024 with four wins from 14, a playoff spot and third place in 2025, then ninth again in 2026.

"It looks like Rohit Sharma will be the captain. And if that is the case, Hardik Pandya has to be traded only. The very fact that Rohit is coming as captain means there is something wrong with Hardik, and he won’t be retained. MI wants to go back to winning ways, and so it’s a good choice to go with Rohit," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

He added:

"The natural move should have been Bumrah as captain after Hardik. But I think MI are trying to stabilize things in the upcoming season. After Hardik took over, the team has become totally disoriented. To right those wrongs, Rohit might be the ideal man."

Rohit’s spell as MI captain from 2013 to 2023 delivered five titles and a third-place finish in 2023, but the franchise has not lifted the trophy since 2020.

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