Lasith Malinga likely to miss first part of IPL 2020
Mumbai Indians fast bowler Lasith Malinga is set to miss the initial stages of IPL 2020, reports suggest. It is understood that the Sri Lankan cricketer will be staying back due to personal reasons.
IPL 2020 will kickstart in the UAE with defending champions Mumbai likely to take on last year’s Chennai Super Kings in the opener. Malinga is expected to miss at least the first few games and could join the squad towards the business end. In the meantime, he will be training in Colombo whilst being around his father who is reportedly ill.
Since 2009, the Sri Lankan Yorker specialist has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians setup. Although he turned a bowling mentor in 2018, Mumbai brought him back to the playing team the following year. In the 2019 final, Slinga gave away just 7 runs in the last over to guide Mumbai to a record fourth IPL title. In his absence, Mumbai could look at bringing in a specialist spinner best suited for the UAE tracks.
There has been no official confirmation from either Mumbai or Malinga himself. However, the cricketer was nowhere to be seen on Friday (August 21), when players and support staff took off on the flight to the UAE.
? Mum-bye ?? Abu Dhab-hi! ?
Drop a ? wishing the team a happy journey.#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/HMOhCt9t9k
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) August 21, 2020
