Malinga uncertain for early parts of IPL 2016
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Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga’s availability for the initial part of the ninth edition of the IPL hangs in the balance after the pacer remained the only player not to join the Mumbai Indians’ preparatory camp. Earlier, Malinga had missed the World T20 after failing to recover from a knee injury.
Lasith Malinga, who is the all-time highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premer League with 143 wickets in 98 matches, could miss out on the initial part of the ninth season, according to a report in the Hindu. The Mumbai Indians have been going through their last minute preparations for the IPL at the Wankhede with all the players apart from Malinga present in the camp.
The Mumbai Indians management has not issued any clarification on the matter, but insiders in Sri Lanka Cricket told the Hindu that Malinga is likely to skip the initial phase of the extravaganza.
Malinga’s last match was in February against UAE in the Asia Cup, where he picked four wickets for 24 runs. The pacer missed the rest of the matches in the Asia Cup and stepped down as the captain after the debacle and also pulled out of the World T20 after failing to recover from a knee injury.
Despite the lack of clarity on the availability of the player, the Hindu is reporting that the franchise hasn’t sought any replacement for the player, which could be an indication of the player’s availability later in the season.
