Lasith Malinga, 40, will join the coaching staff led by Mark Boucher and his former teammate Kieron Pollard ahead of the 2017 season, having previously played for the five-time winners.
The Mumbai Indians have formally appointed former Sri Lanka bowler Lasith Malinga as their bowling coach, the Indian Premier League franchise said on Friday, quickly filling the vacuum created by Shane Bond’s departure.
Malinga, 40, will join the coaching staff led by Mark Boucher and his former teammate Kieron Pollard ahead of the 2017 season, having previously played for the five-time winners.
The three ex-cricketers are expected to “forge a strong partnership in the dugout,” according to the team. Previously, he was the bowling coach for MI New York in Major League Cricket and MI Cape Town in SA20.
“I am looking forward to working closely with Mark, Polly, Rohit 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,” Malinga said in a statement.
Malinga’s bowling has won several crucial games for both Sri Lanka in international cricket and MI in the IPL.
Since 2008, the former great pacer has spent nearly 13 years with MI, 11 as a player and one as a MI bowling consultant (IPL 2018). This year, he was a member of the MI NY staff.
Malinga has won seven trophies with the broader MI group, which includes MI New York and MI Cape Town, including four IPLs, two CLT20s, and an MLC.
Malinga, who will retire in 2021, was also a member of the Rajasthan Royals till this year.
Bond, on the other side, has been with MI since 2015, earning four IPL trophies as the team’s bowling coach.
