[Watch] “Mali Was There, You Didn’t Understand It” – Mahela Jayawardene’s Banter With Jasprit Bumrah

With IPL 2022 less than a week away, the teams have kickstarted their preparations for the mega event. Recently, Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene poked fun at star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah during a recent training session.

Bumrah, who joined the squad after the series against Sri Lanka, came all guns blazing against South Africa’s young batting prodigy Dewald Brevis. Kieron Pollard, who was at the non-striker’s end, was seen giving some encouragement to the youngster.

Reacting to it as he walked back to his bowling mark, Jasprit Bumrah was heard saying:

“When I was young, I don’t remember words of encouragement coming from the non-striker’s end.”

Mahela Jayawardene chipped into the conversation and replied:

“Mali (Lasith Malinga) was there. You didn’t understand it.”

The Sri Lankan legend’s cheeky response was followed by a healthy dose of laughter in the Mumbai Indians camp. The franchise shared the hilarious clip on their social media accounts. They captioned the video as:

“And for a change… BOOM gets clean bowled! 🤯 By none other than @MahelaJay! 🤭😂 #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @Jaspritbumrah93 @KieronPollard55 MI TV.”

And for a change… BOOM gets clean bowled! 🤯

By none other than @MahelaJay! 🤭😂#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @Jaspritbumrah93 @KieronPollard55 MI TV pic.twitter.com/PTceOcDNPc

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 21, 2022

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Kieron Pollard were retained by the Mumbai franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction. Dewald Brevis, on the other hand, was purchased during the bidding process for ₹3 crore.

Mumbai Indians Create “13,000 Square Metre Bio-Secure MI Arena”

The five-time IPL winners have set up an outdoor “bio-secure MI Arena” at Jio World Garden, in Mumbai. The 13,000 square metre “MI Arena” will exclusively serve as a recreational facility for the players, their families, the coaching staff and support staff.

According to a statement from the franchise, the facility will help the team in bonding and it will also help the cricketers “relax and have a balanced life”.

“MI Arena has been created to allow the team to connect and get to know each other better through the season, but also un-wind and relax. The past 2 years has thrown up so many unique challenges but we are “One Family” and it is MI’s priority and responsibility to keep everyone safe and happy”, a MI spokesperson was quoted as saying in the media release.

Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Delhi Capitals on March 27 at the Brabourne Stadium.

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