IPL 2020: MI dented as Lasith Malinga unavailable for 'first part' of tournament

IPL's most successful franchise Mumbai Indians will hope to defend their title when they take the field in UAE for the IPL 2020. Under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, MI have achieved unprecedented success in IPL, having won four titles to become the most successful franchise in the tournament. The Mumbai Indians, however, have been dealt with a massive blow ahead of their IPL 2020 campaign, with reports suggesting that pacer Lasith Malinga will miss the initial few weeks of the cash-rich league. 

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Lasith Malinga to miss first few weeks of Mumbai Indians' IPL 2020 campaign 

According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Lasith Malinga will miss the first part of the IPL 2020 campaign due to personal reasons. The Sri Lankan legend will not travel to the UAE before the IPL 2020 kicks off on September 19 and is likely to return only during the business end of the tournament. It is understood that Lasith Malinga's father has been ill and may require surgery in the coming weeks, which is why the IPL legend has opted to stay behind in Sri Lanka and train in Colombo. The Sri Lankan pacer is likely to join the defending champions if they qualify for the playoffs, where his vast experience will come handy for Rohit Sharma and co.

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Lasith Malinga famously delivered Mumbai Indians the 2019 IPL title, when all seemed lost for them. Defending eight in the final over, the 36-year-old conceded just 7 runs, accounting for the wicket of Shardul Thakur on the final delivery when the Chennai  Super Kings needed two to win. Malinga had conceded a whopping 42 runs in this three previous overs but was entrusted with the responsibility of seeing the Mumbai Indians through and he repaid Rohit Sharma's trust by sealing their record fourth IPL win.

Lasith Malinga, who will turn 37 next week, last featured for Sri Lanka in a T20I during the home series against West Indies in March this year. Incidentally, the IPL legend did not participate in the residential conditioning camps Sri Lanka Cricket organised in June and July.

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Who will replace Lasith Malinga in IPL 2020?

With Mumbai Indians' success built on their family ethos, Lasith Malinga is unlikely to be released ahead of the the IPL 2020 campaign. While losing the leading wicket-taker in IPL history is a significant blow, the defending champions have all their bases covered after some astute purchases during the IPL auction. The franchise splashed a staggering ₹8 crore for the services of Nathan Coulter-Nile while having added New Zealand ace Trent Boult to their ranks via a trade.

The Mumbai Indians also retained left-arm pacer, Mitchell McClenaghan with other fast bowling options such as Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Sherfane Rutherford and Hardik Pandya. While the experience and reliability of Lasith Malinga will be missed, Rohit Sharma has enough options to see their IPL 2020 campaign through before the Sri Lankan returns. 

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(Image Courtesy: iplt20.com)