Wright has worked closely with Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar in the past

Former India coach John Wright has been appointed as the Mumbai Indians’ new head coach for this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is set to get underway on April 3.

Wright will be replacing Robin Singh, who will still continue to offer his services to the franchise.

This move comes days after former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble was named as the Mumbai Indians’ chief mentor.

Nita Ambani, who owns the Mumbai Indians, stated that she was pleased to have an experienced coach like Wright joining the franchise.

“It’s a great pleasure to have John on board with Mumbai Indians,” she said. “John is immensely respected and I am sure his cricketing knowledge and experience will be of enormous help.”

Wright was recently the head coach for the New Zealand national team, who managed to reach the semi-finals of the 2011 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup under his leadership and guidance.

Prior to his job as New Zealand coach, Wright held the same position, but only with the Indian side from 2000-2005.

During his tenure with India, Wright helped the national team reach the finals of the 2003 ICC World Cup, where they were absolutely thrashed by the Australians.

Wright also represented New Zealand in 82 Tests and 149 ODIs before retiring in 1993.