Robin Uthappa wants to help Mumbai Indians rebuild after their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign. The new batting coach is determined to win back fans' trust, restore MI's fear factor away from home and empower the franchise's domestic talent.Robin Uthappa has been appointed as Mumbai Indians' new batting coach.

Robin Uthappa's return to Mumbai Indians brings his IPL journey full circle. He began his career with the franchise in 2008, during the league's inaugural season.

Nearly two decades later, he is back as batting coach, with the responsibility of helping MI rebuild after a disappointing campaign.The five-time champions finished ninth in the 10-team table in the last IPL season. Uthappa knows the franchise will have to work hard to restore its standing and win back supporters.

He believes MI are back in a familiar position, having to earn the trust of their fans all over again."Today, we find ourselves back in that similar situation right now where the trust of the fans need to be earned again. We come in again as underdogs.

It's been one full cycle, and we're back to where we started again, which is nice," Uthappa said in an interview with the franchise's website.TAKING THE FEAR FACTOR ON THE ROADFor Uthappa, rebuilding MI is not just about returning to winning ways at the Wankhede Stadium. He wants the team to carry the same authority and intimidation to away venues. "We're a force to reckon with at home.

I want to take that same emotion, that same energy to every venue away from home. My goal would be to make sure that that sense of intimidation that teams feel when they come to Mumbai Indians, to the Paltan, I want them to feel that same intimidation when we go away from home as well," he said.Winning back the supporters is central to that ambition.

Uthappa wants the team to reconnect with its fan base and make the underdog journey one to remember.INVESTING IN DOMESTIC TALENT Uthappa also wants to focus on empowering domestic cricketers, helping young players develop clarity about their roles and the processes needed to succeed."I would love to empower domestic cricketers and help them get clarity. That's one of the most important aspects that the young cricketers need at this point in time, clarity of what they want to do, how they want to do it, and what is the process by which they're going to achieve those aspects," he said.For Uthappa, coaching goes beyond technical guidance.

He wants to invest emotionally in players' journeys and take pride in their progress. He recalled mentoring a cricketer who later earned a place in India's Test squad, saying the selection felt like a personal achievement."I remember when one of the lads I was working with and mentoring got picked up in the Indian Test squad, it felt like I got selected.

It felt that emotional," he said.A RETURN THAT FEELS LIKE DESTINYUthappa described his appointment as a return to where his IPL story began. He was part of MI's squad in the inaugural season in 2008, scoring 320 runs in 14 matches at an average of 35.55 and a strike rate of 114.69.He still remembers the excitement of learning that he would be playing alongside his hero, Sachin Tendulkar.

The announcement came while he was in Australia with the Indian team for the CB Series."I knew that I was going to be playing with my hero, Sachin Paaji over here. So for me, that was really exciting," he recalled."I started my IPL career with Mumbai Indians and I start my IPL coaching career with Mumbai Indians, which seems like destiny to me," he said.Uthappa went on to represent six IPL franchises, winning titles with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and Chennai Super Kings in 2021.

He finished with 4,952 runs from 205 IPL matches.Now, he returns to MI with a different responsibility. The immediate challenge is to recover from a difficult season.

Uthappa's ambition is to help restore the team's fear factor, develop its domestic talent and bring the Paltan back on its side.- Ends