IPL 2019: Mumbai Indians appoint Zaheer Khan as Director, Rohit to lead

Bengaluru, December 18: Mumbai Indians on Tuesday (December 18) inducted its former left-arm pace bowler Zaheer Khan as Director of Cricket Operations while it has also been officially announced that Rohit Sharma - the most successful captain in IPL - will continue to lead them.

The experienced ex-India international Zaheer Khan will be part of the Mumbai Indians think-tank, joining the owners Nita Ambani and Akash Ambani at the auction in Jaipur.

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One of the pioneers of the knuckle-ball who was known for outsmarting batsmen, Zaheer will bring close to two decades of his cricketing experience in the new managerial role to 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 the 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.