IPL 2020: Defending champions Mumbai Indians are set to miss the services of their star pacer Lasith Malinga, who will be unavailable for the initial phase of the tournament in UAE owing to personal reasons.
Veteran Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga is set to miss the first few games of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) for Mumbai Indians due to personal reasons.
Lasith Malinga will not be heading to UAE because he wants to stay by his father’s side who has been ill and may require surgery, reports ESPNcricinfo.
In the meantime, Malinga, who will turn 37 next week, will be training in Colombo while staying by his ill father’s side. Malinga claimed 16 wickets for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019, also delivering a phenomenal final over against the Chennai Super Kings that secured his team a record fourth IPL title.
Mumbai Indians will sorely miss Lasith Malinga as the Sri Lankan legend has been an integral part of their side since the inaugural season of the league. The right-arm pacer, who has picked up 177 wickets in 122 games for Mumbai Indians so far, starred with the ball when the franchise won a record fourth IPL title last year.
The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League will begin on September 19 in the UAE. 60 games will be played in IPL 2020 over 53 days across three venues — Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. This is the second time UAE is hosting the cash-rich tournament after 2014 when it was taken overseas due to the general elections in India.’
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