MI London names Lisa Keightley, Kieron Pollard as head coaches for 2026

MI London has appointed Lisa Keightley and Kieron Pollard as head coaches for its women's and men's teams, respectively, for the 2026 season. Both bring extensive UK playing and coaching experience. Alec Stewart and Emma Calvert join as advisors.

MI London has appointed Lisa Keightley as head coach of the women's team and Kieron Pollard as head coach of the men's team ahead of the 2026 season. Both bring direct playing and coaching experience in the UK and come from strong cricketing foundations. Keightley brings a vast global coaching experience and a proven championship pedigree. One of the most respected figures in women's cricket, she has led the England Women's team for three years, guided the Northern Superchargers to the 2025 Women's Hundred title and coached in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) (Sydney Thunder) and Women's Premier League (WPL) (Mumbai Indians), as per a press release.

Pollard is one of the greatest T20 cricketers of all time and has played more than 700 T20 games. Pollard served as an assistant coach for England during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, represented Surrey in the 2022 T20 Blast, and has played multiple seasons in The Hundred with London Spirit and Southern Brave. Pollard continues to play in franchise leagues around the world, along with his role as batting coach in the IPL with the Mumbai Indians.

New Coaches Share Their Vision

Lisa Keightley on Taking the Helm

Keightley said: "I am delighted to join the MI London women's team for the 2026 season. Having witnessed the team's past success and now stepping into this role, I am looking forward to the journey and to a new challenge after winning The Hundred last season. The Kia Oval is a brilliant place to play and gives me a unique chance to combine Surrey's rich cricketing heritage with the global winning culture of the MI family. My focus at MI London will be to bring the trophy home and build a high-performance environment where players can thrive, play fearless cricket, and continue to win."

Kieron Pollard on His New Role

Kieron Pollard said: "I am honoured to take on the role of Head Coach with MI London. Having played in The Hundred and for Surrey, I have seen first-hand the strong alignment between Surrey's cricketing culture and the Mumbai Indians' winning ethos. This is an exciting opportunity to build a strong team, create a high-performance culture, and work towards sustained success in the seasons ahead."

Surrey Directors Join as Advisors

MI London has also confirmed that in their roles as Directors of Cricket at Surrey, Alec Stewart and Emma Calvert have joined the cricket leadership teams at MI London as Surrey's advisors. Their role will be to support the decision-making process for the teams, including player acquisition and squad planning. Stewart and Calvert will continue to lead the Surrey men's and women's teams throughout the year. The pair will sit on the MI London men's and women's committees, respectively. The committees will have equal representation from Surrey and MI, in addition to the head coach of the respective teams. (ANI)

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