IPL: Lasith Malinga joins Mumbai Indians as Bowling Coach

Lasith Malinga joined Mumbai Indians as bowling coach after Shane Bond parted ways with Mumbai Indians after a nine-year stint with the team, bringing down the curtain on an illustrious career that included four Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies as a bowling coach for the five-time champions.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday announced Lasith Malinga as Bowling Coach after Shane Bond stepped down from the same position on Thursday.

Lasith Malinga will join the Mumbai Indians coaching team led by Mark Boucher, and his former teammate, Kieron Pollard, forging a strong partnership in the dugout. Lasith Malinga extends his involvement within the Mumbai Indians franchise as his third team as a Bowling coach for MI New York in Major League Cricket and MI Cape Town in SA20.

"It is truly an honour for me to be appointed Bowling Coach of Mumbai Indians and my journey in the #OneFamily continues, following MI New York and MI Cape Town. I am looking forward to working closely with Mark, Polly, Rohit (Sharma), and the rest of the team, especially the bowling unit, whose approach I loved last season, and the young MI talent that has the potential to excel, backed by the passionate MI Paltan,” Lasith Malinga said in a statement shared by Mumbai Indians.

Malinga was the most feared bowler every time he went to the top of his run-up, and in many instances, has won titles and crunch games with his bowling and has also made clutch plays in key moments to deliver for the team. Malinga has spent close to 13 years with Mumbai Indians since 2008 - 11 years as a player, one year (IPL 2018) as MI bowling mentor, and 2023 MI NY Bowling Coach, having won seven trophies with the Mumbai Indians (4 IPL, 2 CLT20, 1 MLC as bowling coach).

Earlier, Mumbai Indians on Wednesday announced that Shane Bond’s successful tenure that began in 2015 has ended after a nine-year stint with the team. Shane Bond took charge as the team’s bowling coach in 2015 and was involved in Mumbai Indians title triumphs in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. He served as the head coach for MI Emirates, in the inaugural edition of ILT20, where his role was to blend the experience of the international players with the local domestic players.