Mumbai Indians on Friday announced Sri Lankan fast-bowling legend Lasith Malinga as their new bowling coach ahead of IPL 2024.
Malinga will now be replacing New Zealnd’s Shane Bond, who has been the bowling coach since 2015 till stepping down earlier this week.
Malinga, who earlier served as the bowling coach of Rajasthan Royals for 2022 and 2023 seasons, will join the Mumbai Indians coaching set up led by Mark Boucher, and his former teammate, Kieron Pollard, who is serving as batting coach.
Maling was also the bowling coach of the MI New York franchise, which won the inaugural MLC title earlier in 2023 and will be involved with MI Cape Town in SA20 from its 2024 season.
“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 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 issued by Mumbai Indians.
Notably, Malinga won four IPL titles with Mumbai in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, apart from the Champions League T20 trophy in 2011 as a player. Overall, the pacer played 139 games for Mumbai, scalping 195 wickets at an economy rate of 7.12.
Malinga’s 170 wickets out of 195 came in the IPL, which is the joint-sixth-highest wickets taken by a bowler in the tournament’s history.
Earlier in 2018, he had also served as the side’s mentor in 2018.