Former Mumbai stumper Vinayak Samant has been appointed as the new coach of the Mumbai Ranji team for the upcoming season. The Mumbai Cricket Association also appointed Wilkin Mota as the coach of its Under 19 team. The announcements were made by MCA Joint Secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar after the cricket body's Cricket Improvement Committee met here for two days to decide on the new coach.

The vacancy arose after former India stumper Sameer Dighe quit just after one season as the Mumbai coach. Mota succeeds Satish Samant as the under 19 coach. "The CIC has decided that Vinayak Samant will be the coach for Ranji team and Wilkin Mota for the Under 19 team," Khanvilkar told reporters here. Samant pipped former Rajasthan cricketer Pradeep Sundaram and former India off spinner Ramesh Powar, who were in the race.