Ace Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga has changed his mind to continue his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with Mumbai Indians (MI) for the ongoing 2019 season, as he has decided to head back home to feature in the country’s domestic tournament.
On Tuesday, 2nd April, Sri Lanka has confirmed that Malinga will be leaving MI set-up on Wednesday, 3rd April, to feature in the Super Provincial One Day Tournament.
With the latest development, the Lanka paceman will miss out on Mumbai Indians’ upcoming matches in the tournament while there is no clarity over his return to IPL 2019.
The upcoming domestic One Day Tournament, which is scheduled for April 4-11, is supposed to serve as Sri Lanka’s World Cup trials -where Malinga will be leading the Galle team.
Earlier, the SLC allowed him to feature in the IPL, stating that the “level of competition would be higher and help him prepare better for the big event” but now it is being said that Malinga wants to participate in the domestic competition, eyeing the captaincy leading into the World Cup 2019.
Sri Lanka’s chief national selector Ashantha de Mel told Sportstar on Tuesday, “Yes, he (Malinga) will be reaching Sri Lanka tomorrow and will be available for the provincial tournament.”
Mel signed off by saying, “He wanted to play the provincial tournament. Last week, we had agreed to release him for the entire IPL, but now he wants to play in this tournament.”
Noteworthy, Mumbai Indians is yet to release an official statement on the same.
(With Sportstar Inputs)
