Hyderabad have confirmed former India opener Wasim Jaffer as mentor for their senior and pathway squads, the deal running through the 2026-27 domestic cycle. It is a straight two-year arrangement and, on the face of it, a clear attempt to inject know-how into a side that has flickered without really igniting in recent seasons.
“Winning mindset.” That, according to head of cricket operations Ambati Rayudu, is what Jaffer is expected to instil. Rayudu pushed hard for a “pedigreed domestic Indian coach” and felt the country’s all-time leading Ranji run-scorer ticked every box.
First things first, the numbers: ten Ranji titles as a player, truck-loads of first-class runs, and post-retirement stints with Vidarbha, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Punjab, the Bangladesh men’s side and IPL franchise Punjab Kings. Even by Indian domestic standards, that is a fat C.V.
Hyderabad’s current reality is less glamorous. Fourth in their Ranji group last season, just the one outright win from seven, and an early Vijay Hazare exit. They did reach the business end of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, only to lose a semi-final spot to Haryana on net run-rate. Decent, not dazzling.
Rayudu explained why he believes Jaffer fits. “Experience you can’t buy, you bring it in,” he said, pausing before repeating that “winning mindset” line. One suspects the batters, in particular, will welcome the extra set of eyes.
The mentorship is only one strand of a broader shake-up since Rayudu took charge in May. A Telangana T20 League – eight teams, runs until 12 July – is already in progress, and the association has quietly signed off on several ground-upgrade projects across the district network. It all points to gradual, rather than flashy, reform.
Jaffer himself has kept comments to a minimum – “looking forward to getting started” was a short message shared on social media – but the task is obvious: make Hyderabad consistently competitive again. If that happens, the next two winters could feel a good deal warmer for the city’s cricket followers.
