Hyderabad appoint Wasim Jaffer as mentor ahead of 2026-27 season

Hyderabad have appointed former Indian cricketer and Ranji Trophy batting stalwart Wasim Jaffer as team mentor ahead of the 2026-27 domestic season.

Jaffer retired from cricket in 2020, as the highest run-scorer in the history of the Ranji Trophy, with 12,038 runs. He has worked in coaching stints with Uttarakhand, Punjab, Odisha, and Vidarbha, while also working as a batting consultant for the Bangladesh men’s Under-19 side. He has also worked in two stints as the batting coach of the Punjab Kings in the IPL.

“I played with him, I’ve grown up seeing him play, I know how his mind works and how disciplined he is. Nobody knows the domestic circuit as well as he does. We wanted to bring positivity and guide talented players in the right direction, and Wasim Jaffer is the best person for it,” Ambati Rayudu, HCA’s Head of Cricket Operations, told Sportstar.

Jaffer has been signed for a period of two years, during which he will be working with the senior team and the age-group teams. He is set to start his duties on August 1. He brings with him a wealth of experience, which Rayudu believes would inculcate a 'winning mindset' into the team.

“He will be travelling with the teams. Maybe two games for Ranji Trophy, one game with Under-23, one game with Under-16 and so on. We want to inculcate a winning mindset and bring a good cricketing culture here. Not only to the players, but also the coaches. We want to maximise his services,” Rayudu added.

Jaffer's appointment is one of several revolutionary decisions taken by Rayudu to kick off his HCA tenure since taking charge in May. Rayudu and the team have undertaken several infrastructure projects across Telangana and have also sanctioned the Telangana T20, which is set to run until mid-July.

“We will have district academies and grounds, which will include dormitories as well as basic facilities. The eight districts we identified are Adilabad, Karimnagar, Kammam, Avavnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizambad and Warangal,” Rayudu explained.