Playing for Mumbai Indians gave me stardom, says Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga's stint with Mumbai Indians ended on a rather memorable note, with a last-ball win that earned the franchise a record fourth IPL trophy.

Lasith Malinga is considered one of the greatest players in the history of IPL. (Image Credit: Twitter)
By Arnab Mukherji | Sep 19, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga is considered one of the greatest players in the shortest format of the game. Malinga was a member of Mumbai Indians (MI) throughout his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his last appearance for the franchise a very memorable one. The pacer earned the Mumbai-based franchise a record fourth trophy in the cash-rich league in 2019, in an encounter that went down to the last ball. Malinga has opened up about his journey with MI over the years, hailing the team for granting him the gift of stardom.

“In 2008, I was really unlucky”

“I want to wish MI, especially the team officials and members, to win another championship this year. Wish you all the best! When I played with Mumbai Indians, I got many fans in India and all over the world. I feel all the young cricketers have a dream – to play franchise cricket, especially IPL, and the national team. That is why I want to share my experience with Mumbai Indians, who have an excellent support staff. That is why I want to explain how I entered the IPL team,” said the cricketer in an interaction with MI’s official website.

“In 2008, I got the opportunity to put down my name for the auction. After that, I got a call from my manager who told me that I’d got a chance to play with Mumbai Indians that year. He asked me not to worry, and that two other Sri Lankan cricketers were there. He also mentioned that I got good owners – Mr. Mukesh Ambani and Mrs. Nita Ambani. The manager also mentioned about the team’s support staff and the team having the most experienced players of that time. I had only 3.5 years international experience. I felt it was good to go there and get some experience to play for the national team. In 2008, I was really unlucky. First I got a knee injury, then I missed the IPL and I lost the Sri Lankan annual contract,” added Malinga.

“I still remember the first match against CSK”

The Sri Lankan eventually represented MI in the second edition which was held in South Africa, having missed out on the opening season due to an injury.

“In 2009, after one and half years, all the doctors and physios said that if I wanted to play, I would have to start short format games to continue my cricketing journey. It meant that I would have to play T20s. But I didn’t get any chance to play in the national team and I had only one option: to go to South Africa and play in the IPL. I explained this to the Sri Lankan Cricket board and they understood the situation. In 2009, I finally went to South Africa to meet my MI team,” explained Malinga.

“When I went there, I could see many experienced players are there in world cricket because I had only three-and-a-half years of international experience. Sachin, Zaheer Khan, Shaun Pollock and Sanath Jayasuriya, that experience was huge. I wanted to get their experience so that I could play better cricket at an international level. After 2-3 days of training, we were all together and we were like family. We had our first match against the Chennai Super Kings. We analysed the opposition, how we have to bowl, how we have to read the game and handle the situation. I still remember the first match against CSK, I got three wickets in four overs and gave fifteen runs,” adds the pacer with a smile.





Related Post

HIGHLIGHTS

Buzzwords