Lasith Malinga, the veteran Mumbai Indians fast bowler, will miss few games for his franchise in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). This will be a massive blow for the three-time IPL champions who are not in good stead in the 12th edition of the IPL. Meanwhile, Malinga will leave India on Wednesday after Mumbai’s game against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium.
The incumbent ODI skipper of Sri Lanka will feature in the Super Provincial One Day Tournament. The four-team event will commence from April 4 and will run till April 11. It is likely to serve as the trials for the team selection for the upcoming ICC World Cup in England and Wales. Lasith Maling will be leading the Galle team in the tournament. Sri Lanka’s chief national selector Ashantha de Mel confirmed the news of Malinga playing in the Provincial Tournament.
“Yes, he (Malinga) will be reaching Sri Lanka tomorrow and will be available for the provincial tournament,” Mel told Sportstar.
Previously, ahead of the start of the IPL, it was said that Lasith Malinga would skip the first six matches for the Mumbai Indians to play the Sri Lanka tournament. Last week, after a meeting with the veteran fast bowler in Colombo, the SLC allowed him to feature in the IPL. Sri Lanka Cricket in a tournament said that they allowed Maling because the competition level will be high in the IPL. However, Lasith Malinga has changed his mind now and will play in the domestic tournament.
“He wanted to play the provincial tournament. Last week, we had agreed to release him for the entire IPL, but now he wants to play in this tournament,” he said.
Mumbai lock horns with Chennai
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians will fight it out against Chennai Super Kings, and it will be a crucial encounter for them. They are currently in the sixth spot and will hope to bounce back. And if they can beat MS Dhoni & Co, it will be a massive confidence booster for the team.
Mumbai have played good cricket but has lacked the finishing ability. The players need to take the onus on themselves and finish games rather than leaving it till the end. On more thing that has hurt their chances have been batsmen throwing their wicket once set. The onus will be on the batters to post a good total while Rohit Sharma has bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga to defend the score.
Malinga, however, is likely to join the franchise again after the tournament ends on April 11.