IPL 2024: Lasith Malinga, the iconic former Sri Lankan pacer, is making a notable comeback to the Mumbai Indians (MI) setup. However, this time, he won’t be dazzling fans with his toe-crushing yorkers but will impart his vast knowledge to the next generation. The MI Cape Town franchise in the South Africa T20 League has welcomed him as their new bowling coach. Alongside Malinga’s appointment, the franchise also announced ex-cricketer Robin Pietersen as the head coach.
Malinga’s association with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the stuff of legends. For several seasons, his slingy action and unmatched accuracy made him a critical asset for MI. In his IPL journey with Mumbai, Malinga featured in 139 matches, clinching 195 wickets with a commendable economy of 7.12. Of these wickets, 170 were from IPL fixtures alone. His contributions have been instrumental in MI lifting the IPL trophy five times.
IPL 2024: Interestingly, Malinga’s coaching stint began shortly after hanging up his boots. Just last month, the Mumbai Indians in IPL designated him as their bowling coach, succeeding Shane Bond. Following his 2021 retirement, he took on the role of fast bowling coach with the Rajasthan Royals for the 2022 IPL season, serving for two editions. Now, he is all set to embrace his beloved MI jersey again, albeit in a different capacity.
In related news, MI Cape Town, an extension of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the South African circuit, has also recognized Malinga’s expertise, enlisting him as their bowling maestro. Joining him in the coaching brigade is Robin Peterson, who takes the reins as the head coach, while batting legend Hashim Amla continues in his role as the batting mentor.
