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MI London appoint Kieron Pollard as head coach for The Hundred 2026

Aakash Saini

MI London name new coaches [Source: @TKRiders, @CricCrazyJohns/x]MI London name new coaches [Source: @TKRiders, @CricCrazyJohns/x]

The MI London franchise, formerly known as the Oval Invincibles, has named Kieron Pollard and Lisa Keightley as the new head coaches of the men’s and women’s teams respectively for the upcoming The Hundred 2026 season. The huge development occurred shortly after star all-rounder Sam Curran was named the captain of the men’s side, replacing 2025 winning skipper Sam Billings in the process.

It is worth noting that the Oval Invincibles was recently rebranded to MI London after the Reliance Industries Limited acquired 49 percent stakes in the franchise during the auction last year.

MI London name new coaches as part of their brand overhaul

The MI London franchise has named Mumbai Indians legend and former West Indies cricketer Kieron Pollard as the new head coach of the men’s team for the upcoming The Hundred 2026 season. The legendary T20 campaigner will be replacing former Australian all-rounder and ex-SRH coach Tom Moody in the process.

Notably, Kieron Pollard is no stranger to the MI brand, considering the legendary West Indies T20 all-rounder was part of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL for over a decade. Pollard also represents fellow MI franchises like the MI Emirates in the ILT20 in UAE, and the MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.

The MI London management also roped in former Australian cricketer and two-time World Cup winner Lisa Keightley as the new head coach of the women’s team. The 54-year-old was appointed as MI London head coach as a replacement of former England first-class cricketer Jonathan Batty.

Interestingly, Lisa Keightley previously coached the Northern Superchargers Women’s team in the previous edition of The Hundred back in 2025 last year. A couple of months ago, she was also named as the head coach of the Mumbai Indians Women’s team for the WPL 2026 season after the resignation of former England cricketer Charlotte Edwards.

Currently in India as part of the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians group, Keightley’s upcoming Hundred stint with MI London will further strengthen her growing association with the MI ecosystem across leagues, underlining the franchise’s emphasis on continuity and a unified coaching philosophy.

New name, new intent as MI London gears up for Hundred 2026

The Oval Invincibles, now rebranded to MI London, is by far the most successful franchise in the history of The Hundred. The men’s division of the Oval Invincibles has won each of the preceding three editions of The Hundred, and will start the upcoming 2026 season later this year as defending champions.

Moreover, even the women’s segment of Oval Invincibles has won two successive women’s titles in the Hundred, doing so back in 2021 and 2022.

Despite lifting the 2025 plaque under the leadership of Sam Billings, the new management has now named England’s all-round superstar Sam Curran as team’s new captain.

The MI London franchise will be expected to make new recruitments and some fresh signings for both, men’s and women’s teams in a bid to gear themselves up for the upcoming 2026 edition of England’s revolutionary 100-ball competition.