Lasith Malinga has been with the Mumbai Indians franchise since 2009 and returned as a player in IPL 2019, after spending a year as a coach and took the team to their fourth IPL title with a breathtaking final over against CSK.
This time around, Malinga’s expertise and skills will be missed by the MI team, as the Sri Lankan legend has opted out of the IPL 2020 to be with his ailing father back home. MI captain Rohit Sharma paid rich tributes to the pacer saying that the “incomparable” fast bowler will be severely missed by his defending champion team.
“I don’t think it is easy to come and fill his boots. He has been a match-winner for Mumbai. I have said it many times, whenever we sort of finding ourselves in trouble, Malinga was the one to bail us out from that,” Rohit said in a pre-season online press conference.
IPL 2020: Rohit Sharma reveals where he will bat for MI in IPL 13
“His experience will be missed, what he did with MI is unbelievable and it is unfortunate that he is not a part of the team this year,” Rohit said.
37-year-old Malinga is the all-time leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 170 scalps to his name. He has been part of all the MI’s four IPL title wins.
However, Rohit felt that they had enough firepower in the squad to make up for his absence.
“We have got likes (James) Pattinson, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin (Khan) and these are the names that we are looking to replace Malinga with. But obviously, what Malinga did for Mumbai, it is not just comparable,” he added.
The skipper, who is the only player in IPL to win the title five-times, has conceded that reading the conditions in UAE will be crucial to their title defense. MI have played five games in UAE during IPL 2014 and lost all of them.
IPL 2020: WATCH – Rohit, Bumrah among other MI players undergo COVID-19 test in bio-secure bubble
“The challenge for us will be to adapt to these conditions here which probably none of us are used to because not a lot of cricketers from our group have played here. I think mentally it is about going out there and understanding what the pitch is doing, and based on that, you need to plan your game whether it is your batting or bowling. So we have had a good chat around the group about that,” he elaborated.
He mentioned that past performances in IPL 2014, when MI made it into the playoffs despite their winless record in UAE, won’t matter much now.
“The pitches here are going to play a big part and to understand that and adapt quickly and play to your potential, play according to what is being asked of is very crucial here. The past performance would not play a part this time around,” he stressed.
(PTI inputs)
