‘I want teams to fear Mumbai Indians even when we play away’: New MI batting coach Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa (Image credit: Mumbai Indians) Mumbai Indians batting coach Robin Uthappa wants the team to become a force not only at the Wankhede Stadium but also at every other venue in the IPL. He believes the five-time champions need to regain the trust of their fans after a disappointing 2025 season.Mumbai Indians finished ninth among 10 teams in IPL 2025. Uthappa knows that the team led by head coach Kieron Pollard has a lot of work to do to get back to winning ways.Speaking to the franchise’s website, Uthappa said Mumbai Indians will once again start their journey as underdogs and will have to garner the support of their fans.“Today we find ourselves back in a similar situation where we have to regain the trust of the fans. We are coming in as an underdog again. It has been one full cycle and we are back where we started again, which is nice,” Uthappa said.

Uthappa wants MI to dominate away from home

Uthappa believes Mumbai Indians have built a strong reputation at the Wankhede Stadium. However, he wants the team to carry the same confidence and fighting spirit onto the away pitch.“We are a force to be reckoned with at home. I want to bring that same emotion, that same energy to every place away from home. My aim would be to make sure that the sense of dread that teams feel when they come to Mumbai Indians at Paltan – I want them to feel the same dread when we leave home as well.”“And to be able to be on the same side of Mumbai Indians fans. On the same side of Paltan. So I’m looking forward to playing a part in that journey to win back the trust of the fans and make sure that this underdog journey is one to remember.”

He wants to build confidence among the domestic players

Uthappa also spoke about his plans to work closely with domestic cricketers. He believes that young players need clear guidance and support to understand their roles and improve their game.“I would like to empower domestic cricketers and help them gain clarity. That is one of the most important aspects that young cricketers need at the moment, clarity on what they want to do, how they want to do it and what is the process by which they achieve those aspects.”“You also get emotionally invested in their own journey and then you root for them. You want them to do well. And so when they do, it’s like a personal achievement.”He recalled how one of the players he mentored earned a place in the Indian Test team. Uthappa said that this success made him feel like he was chosen by himself.“I remember when one of the guys I worked with and mentored got picked in the Indian Test team, I felt like I got picked. It was so emotional.“That’s something I’m looking forward to, especially with domestic cricketers. And communication is a big part of it and those are the conversations I’m honestly looking forward to.”

‘It’s just like destiny’: Uthappa on return from MI

Uthappa described his appointment as Mumbai Indians batting coach as a special moment. He started his IPL career with this franchise in 2008 and is now starting his coaching journey in the league with the same team.In the inaugural season of the IPL, Uthappa scored 320 runs in 14 matches for Mumbai Indians at an average of 35.55 and a strike rate of 114.69.In a video shared by the franchise on social media, he expressed his happiness at returning to MI.“I’m really happy to be back… excited and delighted to have the opportunity to work with this special set of cricketers and this franchise,” Uthappa said.“Unbelievable and it feels like fate to be honest. Like in this case I started my IPL career with Mumbai Indians and I will start my IPL coaching career with Mumbai Indians which feels like fate.”

Uthappa recalls playing alongside Sachin Tendulkar

Uthappa, who represented India in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is between 2005 and 2015, also looked back on his first IPL season. He recalled the excitement of being picked by Mumbai Indians in 2008 and getting the chance to share the dressing room with his idol Sachin Tendulkar.At that time, Uthappa was in Australia with the Indian team for the CB series when the IPL auction was held.“So in 2008 when I got into the franchise, I remember we were in Australia, we were playing the CB Series in Australia when the auctions were going on and I knew I was going to play with my hero Sachin Paaji here.“It was a really exciting feeling for me because in that first season everyone was finding their feet, including the franchises and the players and the teams and the IPL itself. We had, I would say, a fairly decent season, it could have been better.”“We had injuries and Paaji (Sachin Tendulkar) missed a big part of this tournament and then Bhajjupa (Harbhajan Singh) was also the captain and Sanath (Sanath Jayasuriya) played really well, Polly (Shaun Pollock) played really well.”Uthappa went on to represent six franchises in the IPL. He won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and Chennai Super Kings in 2021. He finished his IPL career with 4,952 runs from 205 matches.