WPL 2026: The Mumbai Indians (MI) have announced former Australian leg-spinner Kristen Beams as their spin bowling coach ahead of the 2026 Women’s Premier League season. She will join head coach Lisa Keightley and fast-bowling coach Jhulan Goswami in the dugout as the two-time champions aim to defend their title.
From Player to Coach
Beams had an impressive playing career, featuring in one Test, 30 ODIs, and 18 T20Is for Australia, along with 45 matches in the Women’s Big Bash League. Since retiring, she has built an extensive coaching resume, gaining experience in the WBBL and The Hundred, serving as head coach of the Australia Women’s Under-19 team, and holding leadership roles as Cricket Australia’s National Development Lead and Community Cricket Manager (South) at Cricket Tasmania.
She also played a significant role in Australia’s World Cup success, finishing the 2017 ODI World Cup as the tournament’s third-highest wicket-taker.
WPL 2026: Kristen Beams Is Excited to Join MI
“It’s my first time back as the coach,” Beams said in a video statement. “It’s an incredible opportunity to work with someone like a Jhulan Goswami, one of the greats of the game, somebody I played cricket against.”
“Incredible culture. They have developed a winning culture over a really long period of time but [also] a family, that’s what you hear everyone talking about that this group is so tight-knit and a family. It’s what you want to be a part of. I think, as a coach coming in, that’s exactly what you want to be able to do — walk into an environment that feels really tight-knit and a team that knows how to win,” she added.
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Mumbai Indians Squad for WPL 2026
The Mumbai Indians squad for this season looks strong and balanced with players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Amanjot Kaur, Kamalini G, Amelia Kerr, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajana Sajeevan, Rahila Firdous, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Saika Ishaque, and Milly Illingworth.
With Kristen Beams adding her expertise to the coaching staff, MI looks set to make a strong push for another WPL title while maintaining their close-knit team spirit.
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