Mumbai Indians were hit with a blow when Kiwi pacer Adam Milne became injured. Milne decided to skip the entire IPL due to a swollen heel. Moreover they also faced the scare of unavailability of Lasith Malinga.
The current Sri Lankan ODI captain is IPL’s highest wicket-taker and is one of the most successful bowlers. Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL journey on March 24 against Delhi Capitals.
Previously the Sri Lankan pacer had said that he will be available for one-third of the season. He first said that he will be unavailable for the first six games. Later he suggested the franchise to replace him for the entire season.
The reason behind that was the Provincial tournament arranged by Sri Lanka Cricket. They said that the domestic tournament would be the benchmark for World Cup squad selection. The tournament will be played from 4th to 11th April.
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Malinga to join on Monday
But recent reports suggest that Malinga will soon join the IPL franchise. MI coach Mahela Jayawardene notified that the IPL franchise were given no information about the domestic tournament during IPL’s auction.
The Sri Lankan cricket board had given green signal to Mumbai Indians during the auction. As a result they went forward and bought Malinga for Rs 2 crore. But now the ‘Super Provincial One Day domestic tournament’ has become a conflict of interest.
As a result the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has slammed the SLC for this unexpected move. BCCI sent strong words to SLC which resulted in Malinga’s return to the Mumbai Indians squad. However he will join on March 25 and thus will miss the opening match on March 24.