IPL: MI appoint Zaheer Khan as Director of Cricket Operations

Jaipur, Dec 18 (IANS) The Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday inducted former left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan as Director of Cricket Operations. The experienced Zaheer will be part of the Mumbai Indians think-tank. One of the pioneers of the knuckle-ball and known for outsmarting batsmen, Zaheer will bring close to two decades of his cricketing experience to his new managerial role for Mumbai Indians. Zaheer was part of the Mumbai Indians in IPL seasons 2009, 2010 and 2014. He has 29 wickets to his name from 30 outings for the men in blue and gold. Ahead of the IPL auction, Mumbai Indians have retained 18 players, continuing with its philosophy of identifying and nurturing young talents. While the likes of all rounder Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah form the core of Mumbai Indians, the three-time champions outfit have also continued with Mayank Markande, Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare and Suryakumar Yadav. From the experienced contingent, Mumbai Indians have Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Evin Lewis, Jason Behrendorff and the Kiwi pair of Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne. Rohit Sharma will continue to lead Mumbai Indians.