Sri Lankan ace fast bowler and Mumbai Indians’ star Lasith Malinga is likely to miss the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons.
The lucrative franchise based Twenty20 Cricket Tournament, owned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is set to commence on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
However, the 36-year-old right-arm fast bowler and the veteran of 295 T20s had revealed yesterday that his participation could be in doubt due to personal commitments.
Malinga was set to spearhead the bowling attack of Mumbai Indians at this year’s event where they would make a determined effort to defend the title.
In fact, last year too Malinga played a dominant role for the Mumbai Indians, with his brilliant bowling performances in the final encounter against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
With the experienced Malinga likely to opt-out, all-rounder Isuru Udana will be the only Sri Lankan player to participate in the IPL this year.
Udana will represent the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Team which would also include Indian Skipper Virat Kohli and many other star players.
Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka Skipper Mahela Jayawardena left for the UAE yesterday to participate in the IPL.
Jayawardena will be coaching the champions Mumbai Indians for the fourth successive season this year.
In fact, under the guidance of Jayawardena, Mumbai Indians have won the IPL title twice in three attempts.
In addition, former Sri Lanka spin bowling legend, Muttiah Muralitharan, will be the Bowling Mentor for the Sunrisers Hyderabad Team. The 13th edition of the IPL will conclude on November 8.
