Ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Mumbai Indians (MI) will be missing their veteran fast bowler Lasith Malinga who is unavailable for the 13th edition. The franchise announced Australian speedster James Pattinson as Malinga’s replacement.
In the Mumbai Indians press release, owner Akash Ambani welcomed Pattinson on board and extended full support to Malinga.
“James is the right fit for us and adds to our pace attack options available at hand especially for the conditions we will play in this season in UAE.
“Lasith is a legend and a pillar of MI’s strength. There is no denying the fact that we will miss Lasith’s cricketing acumen this season. However, we fully understand Lasith’s need to be in Sri Lanka with his family during this time.
“Mumbai Indians is founded on the values of ‘One Family’ and for us, the members of our squad and their wellbeing will always hold utmost importance,” he added. “We welcome James to our One Family.”
Malinga has been an integral part of MI and is the IPL’s leading wicket-taker with 170 wickets. He last year helped MI secure their fourth title win.
Malinga last played in March, when he took part in a T20I against West Indies in Galle. However, in June, when Sri Lanka’s 24-member squad was announced for a second-residential training camp, Malinga was not part of it.
