Key points
- MI Emirates named Mark Boucher as their head coach on Wednesday 30 September 2026, a day before the Season 5 auction.
- He replaces Robin Singh, who led the team to the ILT20 title in 2024.
- Boucher coached Mumbai Indians in the IPL in 2023 and 2024, and led MI New York to the Major League Cricket title in 2025.
- Season 5 runs from Sunday 22 November to Sunday 20 December 2026.
MI Emirates have named former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher as their head coach for ILT20 2026. The team announced the appointment on Wednesday 30 September 2026, a day before the Season 5 player auction in Dubai.
MI Emirates said Boucher brings “a strong connection to the organisation and a wealth of experience across international and franchise cricket”, and that the team looks forward to “seeing him lead the team into the ILT20 2026 season”.
Back with the Mumbai Indians family
MI Emirates belong to the Mumbai Indians family of teams, and Boucher knows it well. He was head coach of Mumbai Indians in the IPL in 2023 and 2024. They reached the playoffs in his first season and finished last of the 10 teams in his second. He then took charge of MI New York in Major League Cricket in the United States and led them to the title in 2025.
Replacing a title-winning coach
Boucher takes over from former India all-rounder Robin Singh, who had been part of the Mumbai Indians setup since 2010. As head coach of MI Emirates, Robin Singh guided the team to their first ILT20 title in 2024, when they beat Dubai Capitals by 45 runs in the final. MI Emirates thanked him for his contribution to the team and to the wider Mumbai Indians organisation.
Last season MI Emirates finished second in the league table and reached the final, which they lost to Desert Vipers by 46 runs (see the full scorecard).
A long career in cricket
Boucher played 147 Tests, 295 one-day internationals and 25 T20 internationals for South Africa as a wicketkeeper before he retired from international cricket in 2012. He was South Africa’s head coach from December 2019 to November 2022.
What comes next
The appointment came a day before the auction on 1 October, where MI Emirates completed a 22-player squad. Nicholas Pooran, Rashid Khan, Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford had already signed, and the team made the biggest buy of the auction: Fazalhaq Farooqi for $380,000. See the full MI Emirates squad.
Season 5 runs from Sunday 22 November to Sunday 20 December 2026, and MI Emirates will be trying to win the title for a second time. The fixtures have not been released yet. Check the ILT20 schedule for the latest dates, or see how MI Emirates have done against every team in our head-to-head records.
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