Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have appointed former Australia leg-spinner Kristen Beams as their spin bowling coach for the 2026 Ladies’s Premier League (WPL) season, the franchise introduced on Monday.
“It is my first time as a coach right here. It is an unbelievable alternative to work with somebody like Jhulan Goswami, one of many greats of the sport, and any person I performed cricket in opposition to.
“Unimaginable tradition that they’ve developed a profitable tradition over a very lengthy time frame, however a household, and that is what you hear everybody discuss, that this group is so tight knit, and it is a household, and it is what you wish to be part of,” mentioned Kristen in a video posted on the franchise’s Instagram account on Monday.
Kristen was an instrumental participant in Australia’s World Cup campaigns, ending because the third-highest wicket-taker within the 2017 Ladies’s ODI World Cup in England. Her worldwide profession spanned 1 Take a look at, 30 ODIs and 18 T20Is, and 45 T20 video games within the WBBL, earlier than she ended her taking part in profession to maneuver to teaching.
“I feel as a coach coming in, that is precisely what you need to have the ability to do, is to stroll into an setting that feels actually tight knit, and a staff that is aware of win,” added Kristen.
Kristen brings a confirmed teaching pedigree to the MI set-up that includes head coach Lisa Keightley, bowling coach and mentor Jhulan Goswami, batting coach Devieka Palshikaar and fielding coach Nicole Bolton.
She has coached within the WBBL, particularly with the Hobart Hurricanes profitable the title this yr, in addition to in The Hundred. Kristen labored as the top coach of the Australia girls’s U19 staff, aside from serving because the Nationwide Improvement Lead at Cricket Australia and Group Cricket Supervisor – South at Cricket Tasmania.
WPL 2026 will run from January 9 to February 5 and might be performed in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. MI, the two-time champions are led by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and can open their marketing campaign in opposition to Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.