Five-time Indian Premier League champions Mumbai Indians have appointed Zubin Bharucha as their new Director of Performance, the franchise announced on Saturday. Bharucha will work with MI’s existing multi-disciplinary leadership group across various performance areas within the franchise ecosystem.
The appointment comes after Bharucha’s long association with the Rajasthan Royals, where he held several senior positions and played an important role in the franchise’s player development structure. His move to Mumbai Indians adds further experience to the franchise’s performance and talent-development setup. Bharucha also has experience as a player. The right-handed batter represented Mumbai and Surrey during his first-class career. After his playing career, he moved into coaching, talent identification and player development, eventually becoming one of the experienced figures in India’s franchise cricket ecosystem. At Mumbai Indians, Bharucha is expected to work across the franchise’s wider performance structure, with his responsibilities extending beyond the IPL team. The franchise will now look to use Bharucha’s experience in scouting and player development as it prepares for the next IPL cycle.
Bharucha first joined Rajasthan Royals as Team Director in 2008 and remained in the role until the franchise’s suspension. He later returned to the Royals in 2018 as Director of Cricket Operations and subsequently worked as their Director of High Performance. He was born in January 1970 and played 17 first-class matches, according to his Rajasthan Royals profile. His appointment is also significant as MI look to strengthen their setup following their failure to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs.
“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,” Mumbai Indians said in a statement.
