The appointments follow Mumbai Indians' decision to part ways with Lasith Malinga, who had served as the team's bowling coach since IPL 2024, along with Paras Mhambrey and Carl Hopkinson, who was the fielding coach.
Uthappa, who represented Mumbai Indians in the inaugural IPL season in 2008, will take up his first coaching role with an IPL team. He retired from the league after the 2022 season.
During IPL 2008, Uthappa was a regular in Mumbai Indians' playing XI before becoming part of one of the league's earliest trades. He moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in exchange for Zaheer Khan.
McClenaghan, the former New Zealand left-arm seamer, played a key role in three of Mumbai Indians' title-winning campaigns in 2015, 2017 and 2019. He claimed 71 wickets in 56 appearances for the franchise and was also part of the squad during its successful title defence in 2020, although he did not feature in a match.
McClenaghan has previously worked with the franchise as bowling coach of MI Emirates in ILT20 2024, when the team emerged champions.
Dilip, meanwhile, rose to prominence as the fielding coach of the senior Indian men's team, where he was part of three ICC title-winning campaigns: the T20 World Cup in 2024 and 2026, and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
His tenure with the Indian team overlapped with Rohit Sharma's captaincy. Dilip will now reunite with the veteran cricketer at Mumbai Indians.
Kulkarni, who has been appointed development bowling coach, represented Mumbai Indians during the first six IPL seasons and was part of the franchise's maiden title-winning campaign in 2013. He returned for another stint with the team in IPL 2020 and 2021.
His 92-match IPL career also included stints with Rajasthan Royals and the now-defunct Gujarat Lions. Kulkarni represented India in 12 ODIs and two T20Is between 2014 and 2016.
In a statement, Mumbai Indians said Kulkarni would have a year-round role that “will ensure continuity in Mumbai Indians’ performance programme, providing consistent support for player development and talent pool depth.”
The new coaching appointments mark a significant reshaping of Mumbai Indians' support staff under Pollard as the franchise prepares for IPL 2027.
The first major task for the revamped coaching team will be to finalise player retentions ahead of the auction in December.
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