Former Sri Lanka bowler Lasith Malinga is poised to rejoin the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the role of a fast bowling coach for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is said to be taking over from Shane Bond, who will be leaving MI after a nine-year tenure.
Having been a key player for MI from 2008 to 2020, Malinga concluded his time as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. His tally of 170 wickets in 122 IPL matches stands as the sixth-highest in the T20 league. Malinga retired in 2021.
Afterwards, the Sri Lankan became the pace-bowling coach for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2022 and 2023 editions. In 2022, RR reached the final but were defeated by eventual champions Gujarat Titans. However, in the 2023 season, they couldn’t secure a spot in the knockouts and finished fifth in the points table.
Malinga clinched four IPL titles alongside MI (in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019) before missing out on the 2020 season due to injury. He also secured the Champions League T20 championship with the Mumbai-based team in 2011.
Lasith Malinga has replaced Shane Bond as Mumbai Indians' bowling coach for IPL 2024. (Espncricinfo). pic.twitter.com/5fgHDEkHpI
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 19, 2023
According to ESPNCricinfo, this marks Malinga’s second tenure with MI as part of the support staff. The tall fast bowler had previously taken on the role of their mentor in 2018, only to resume playing a year later. The 39-year-old will now focus on nurturing emerging bowling talents like Akash Madhwal, who stepped up admirably when Jasprit Bumrah was absent during IPL 2023.
In the 2023 season, only two MI bowlers achieved over 10 wickets — Madhwal (14 wickets in eight matches) and Jason Behrendorff (14 wickets in 12 matches). Malinga also took on the role of Sri Lanka’s bowling strategy coach during the white-ball series against Australia in 2022. The Sri Lankan team achieved their first home series victory over Australia in three decades, winning the five-game series 3-2.
Will Shane Bond remain associated with the franchises?
At present, it’s unclear if Shane Bond, who became part of Mumbai Indians in 2015, will maintain his involvement with their associated teams in ILT20 (UAE), Major League Cricket (USA), and SA20 (South Africa).
In addition to his role as the fast bowling coach for MI, he also assumed the position of head coach for MI Emirates in ILT20 in January-February this year. The team secured a third-place finish in the six-team competition. On the flip side, Mumbai Indians (MI) reached the knockout stage during IPL 2023 but were defeated by Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier.
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