Bengaluru: Mumbai Indians spearhead Lasith Malinga is set to miss the first part of the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Initially scheduled to start in March, the 2020 edition of the IPL was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the 13th edition of the IPL will be played from September 19 to November 10, across three venues in the UAE -- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai.
According to a report, Malinga will not be travelling to the UAE and will miss the initial games due to personal reasons.
However, the pacer wants to be by his side and will be training in Colombo.
Malinga has been a key cog in the bowling wheel of Mumbai Indians. Last year the right-handed bowler defended eight runs in the final over of the IPL final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Malinga, who will turn 37 on August 28, has been one of the most valuable players in the IPL for Mumbai. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20s, behind Dwayne Bravo, and is also the highest wicket-taker in IPL with 170 wickets.
The Sri Lankan fast bowler joined Mumbai Indians in 2009 and has been playing for the franchise ever since. In 2018 IPL, he served as a bowling mentor, but last year Mumbai Indians paid Rs 2 crores to bring him back on the field which proved to be a masterstroke as he led the side to the championship in the last over against Chennai Super Kings.
Although IPL is yet to release the tournament schedule, Mumbai are expected to play 2019 runners-up CSK in the first match as per the norm.
