Former wicket-keeper Vinayak Samant retained as Mumbai head coach for upcoming domestic season

Mumbai: Former Mumbai wicket-keeper Vinayak Samant has been reappointed as the coach of the senior Mumbai team for the upcoming domestic season. [caption id=“attachment_7229841” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Wankhede Stadium. Reuters[/caption] A top MCA official confirmed the development to PTI on Monday. It is reliably learnt that Samant was given the appointment letter on 21 August. As per media reports, the job was offered to another former Mumbai stumper Sulakshan Kulkarni, who declined to take it up. Samant was first appointed as the senior team’s coach last season. In his first stint, he guided Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare one-day title after the side defeated Delhi in the final. However, 41-time Ranji champions Mumbai failed to add to that staggering number, besides failing to lift the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy under Samant’s guidance. Samant is expected to take up his job on Tuesday at the suburban Bandra-Kurla complex facility where the Mumbai players are training for the upcoming ‘Bapuna Cup’, a pre-season domestic tournament set to be played in Nagpur from September 5. Samant, during his career, played in 101 first class matches and scored 3,496 runs with a career-best of 200 not out. He effected 37 stumpings and took 310 catches.