Lasith Malinga joins up with Mumbai Indians

As of today, the 9^th season of the Indian Premier League just got some flavor. Although Lasith Malinga remains unavailable for selection with a knee injury, his presence in the dugout will be immensely important. The 32-year old pacer, who had stepped down from the post of Sri Lankan skipper prior to the World T20 has seemingly received the No Objection Certificate he required from the Sri Lankan Cricket board he needed to participate in the IPL.

An earlier report had suggested that the Lankan board was mulling over the NOC to be given to Malinga courtesy of the latter’s knee injury. A couple of days prior to the start of the IPL, Mumbai Indians head coach Ricky Ponting had stated that Malinga was likely to join up with the squad. However, despite the good news, Ponting had also mentioned that Malinga’s fitness would be assessed before allowing him to play. “I believe he will be joining us after the first couple of games to have his fitness assessed,” Ponting had said. “Right now it’s unlikely he will take part in the first half of the tournament anyway.”

The Lankan slinger has been trying to recover from a bruised knee he suffered during the tour of New Zealand in the fall of 2015. Since then, Malinga has played just the one match, captaining his side to a win against the UAE in the Asia Cup. However, he was ruled out of the subsequent World T20 while the captaincy was split between Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews.

Malinga, who also happens to be the highest wicket taker in the IPL, missed out in the win against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. New Zealand seamer Tim Southee has been deputized in his place while the likes of Mitchell McCleneghan and Jasprit Bumrah have completed the bowling attack.

Also read – IPL 9, Match 9 Preview: Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions aim to continue the winning momentum