Kristen Beams joins Mumbai Indians as spin-bowling coach for WPL 2026

Defending Women’s Premier League (WPL) champions Mumbai Indians have appointed former Australia legspinner Kristen Beams as their spin-bowling coach for the 2026 season.

Beams, 41, brings significant international and coaching experience to the MI support staff and will work alongside head coach Lisa Keightley, bowling coach and mentor Jhulan Goswami, batting coach Devika Palshikar and fielding coach Nicole Bolton. The upcoming season will also mark Keightley’s first with Mumbai Indians, after spending the previous three seasons with Delhi Capitals.

Speaking in a video shared by MI on Instagram, Beams expressed her excitement about the role. “It’s an incredible opportunity to work with someone like Jhulan Goswami, one of the greats of the game and somebody I played against,” she said. “MI have built an incredible culture over a long period of time — a winning culture, but also a family. That’s what you want to be part of, and as a coach it’s exactly the environment you want to walk into.”

Beams represented Australia across all three formats between 2014 and 2017, playing one Test, 30 ODIs and 18 T20Is. At the domestic level, she featured for the Melbourne Stars in the Women’s Big Bash League from 2015-16 to 2019-20. Following her playing career, she transitioned into coaching, working in the WBBL, The Hundred, and with Australia’s Under-19 women’s team.

Mumbai Indians have been the most successful franchise in the WPL so far, winning two of the league’s first three seasons. They will begin their 2026 campaign on January 9 against 2024 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The upcoming edition will be played over 28 days across two venues — Navi Mumbai and Vadodara — and will be the first WPL season to take place in the January–February window. The previous three editions were held in February–March, immediately before the start of the Indian Premier League.

At the player auction held last month, MI focused on continuity, retaining and buying back several players who have been part of the squad throughout the league’s first three seasons.