Lasith Malinga to miss initial matches of IPL 2020

Mumbai Indians fast bowler Lasith Malinga is set to miss the first part of this year’s IPL citing personal reasons. The Sri Lankan speedster will not be flying with the squad to the UAE, where the tournament is supposed to take place.

According to ESPNCricinfo, Malinga’s father has been ill and may require surgery in the coming weeks. The fast bowler wants to be by his side and will be training in Colombo. It is believed Malinga is likely to join Mumbai during the business end of the tournament, including the playoffs, where his experience will come handy.

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A key factor that is likely to have contributed to Malinga’s decision is the current quarantine protocol imposed by the Sri Lankan government for people entering the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As per the rules, anyone entering Sri Lanka needs to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, which means Malinga would have had to remain in quarantine if he flew to the UAE and then came back to see his father at any point.

Lasith Malinga bowled the Mumbai Indians to victory in the previous year’s IPL final

Malinga, who turns 37 later this month, has been one of the most valuable players in the IPL for Mumbai. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20s, behind Dwayne Bravo, and is also the highest wicket-taker in IPL with 170 wickets. He has also played a key role in the development of Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah.

Malinga has been a member of the Mumbai Indians since 2009. Although he served as a bowling mentor in the 2018 edition, Mumbai paid INR 2 crore to bring him back as a player the following year, a decision that proved to be a vital one.

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Malinga last played for his country in a T20I during the home series against West Indies in March this year. Incidentally, he did not participate in the residential conditioning camps Sri Lanka Cricket organised in June and July.

Mumbai may have numerous options in their pace reserves which this time include Jasprit Bumrah, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan, Dhawal Kulkarni, and allrounders Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, but it is Malinga’s experience that they will miss more than anything else.

SOURCE: ESPNCricinfo