Mumbai Indians (MI) have appointed Zubin Bharucha as their new Director of Performance. The five-time Indian Premier League champions announced the appointment on August 21, 2026, adding one of Indian cricket’s experienced talent scouts and development specialists to their support staff.
Bharucha previously served as the Director of High Performance at Rajasthan Royals. During his time with the franchise, he built a strong reputation for identifying young talent and developing players by focusing on their skills, potential, and mental strength rather than relying only on traditional statistics.
Mumbai Indians Appoint Zubin Bharucha as Director of Performance
Mumbai Indians confirmed that Zubin Bharucha will work closely with the franchise’s existing multi-disciplinary leadership group across performance disciplines. The franchise said that he will join its support staff and build on its player-development approach.
“Zubin Bharucha joins Mumbai Indians as Director of Performance, and will work closely with the current multi-disciplinary leadership group across all performance disciplines within the MI ecosystem,” the franchise said in its official statement.
The statement added: “He will join the current support staff within the highly integrated MI ecosystem and continue to build on Mumbai Indians’ approach to deliver unparalleled success in player development.”
The franchise welcomed Bharucha to the team by adding, “Welcome to the Blue and Gold, Zubin!”
Mumbai Indians’ Disappointing IPL 2026 Campaign
Mumbai Indians had a poor IPL 2026 campaign, finishing ninth in the points table and missing the playoffs. Led by Hardik Pandya, MI won only four of their 14 league matches and finished ahead of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Net Run Rate (NRR).
Ryan Rickelton was one of their few consistent performers, finishing as MI’s top run-scorer with 448 runs. Allah Ghazanfar led the bowling attack with 15 wickets, while Tilak Varma produced two standout innings, scoring an unbeaten 101 off 45 balls against Gujarat Titans (GT) and 75* against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
MI started the season on a positive note by ending their long wait for an opening-match win, chasing 221 against Kolkata Knight Riders. However, they failed to build on that result and eventually finished ninth.
Zubin Bharucha’s Impact on Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Other Stars
Zubin Bharucha has built a reputation for developing young cricketers. He focuses on batting technique, shot-making and mental strength rather than relying only on statistics.
Bharucha played an important role in Yashasvi Jaiswal’s development after his difficult start in the IPL. He worked on Jaiswal’s batting technique and introduced power-hitting drills to improve his range and boundary-hitting ability.
Bharucha also identified Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as a special talent at a young age. He tested the teenager against high-speed deliveries during trials and backed the Rajasthan Royals to invest in him. Sooryavanshi later became the youngest player to score an IPL century, hitting a 35-ball hundred at 14.
His work also included Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, and Sanju Samson. Bharucha helped Jurel improve his finishing skills and worked with Parag and Samson on their technique and mental approach.