Reports: Ricky Ponting to take control of Mumbai Indians for IPL 2015

Ricky Ponting

According to a report in the Mumbai Mirror, Ricky Ponting is set to take up a crucial new role in the Mumbai Indians setup for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The report expects Ponting to become the main decision-maker for the former IPL champions after taking up his new role.

The former Australian captain was picked up by the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise during the 2013 IPL auctions and captained the team in 6 matches before he was forced to sit on the bench after some poor performances. The captaincy was then handed over to Rohit Sharma, under whom the Mumbai Indians went on to win the IPL and the Champions League T20 (CLT20) that year.

It is still unclear whether Ponting will replace John Wright as the head coach or will replace Anil Kumble as the mentor. The 39-year-old was involved in the backroom staff of the Mumbai-based franchise last season as the batting coach.

Considering Kumble was given more responsibility than Wright in the previous setup, it seems more likely that the former Indian legspinner will face the axe. While MI enjoyed great success in Kumble’s first year as mentor, he has been blamed for goofing up during the 2014 auctions, where former players Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Akshar Patel and Dwayne Smith were let go off.

Just over 24 hours ago, another former cricketing legend Jacques Kallis was named as the new mentor of the current IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders.