Malinga is back with MI family with new role

June 15, 2023 at 11:40 AM

Lasith Malinga, the legendary bowler from Sri Lanka, is set to make a triumphant return to the Mumbai Indians franchise, but this time in a coaching role.

The franchise’s newest team, MI New York, competing in the highly anticipated Major League, has appointed Malinga as their esteemed bowling coach.

The announcement comes alongside the unveiling of MI New York’s star-studded squad and the entire coaching staff for the upcoming tournament, with the dynamic Kieron Pollard leading the charge as captain

Captain Pollard, Rashid, Boult headline MI New York 2023 squad

By Mumbai Indians | 14 JUN, 2023

MI New York announce the signing of 9 international players, completing the roster of 18 players, featuring a strong core of experience, homegrown talent, and young players, a feature that is common across all the MI teams, in three different continents, four different countries, and five different leagues. In addition to the players, MI New York have also announced their line-up of coaching staff for the inaugural season.

Mumbai Indians legend Kieron Pollard will captain the franchise and the roster also includes Afghanistan’s T20 captain Rashid Khan and former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran.

They will be joined by New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult and the Aussie duo of the big-hitting Tim David and pacer Jason Behrendorff. The team will also feature rising South African star Dewald Brevis, pace sensation Kagiso Rabada and Namibian all-rounder David Wiese, who has previously represented South Africa as well. All the players except for David Wiese also play across multiple MI Teams – Mumbai Indians, MI Cape Town and MI Emirates, forming a strong core for MI, globally.

Mr. Akash M. Ambani, Owner of Mumbai Indians, said, “We are thrilled to unveil team MI New York in the upcoming Major League Cricket season. Stalwart Pollard is leading the team which has international superstars Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, and Kagiso Rabada. It is an extraordinary line-up of youth, experience, and power. Further, we have exciting talent in the form of Tim David and Brevis, while Jason Behrendorff and David Wiese are proven performers. Combined with the exceptional skills of our local US players, we are confident that MI New York will raise the bar of competition in the cricket ecosystem of the US. We are dedicated to providing our fans with the quintessential MI brand of cricket.”

Coaching Team:

Former SA & MI player and MI Cape Town General Manager Robin Peterson will be the head coach, joined by Mumbai Indians legend Lasith Malinga, as bowling coach. J Arun Kumar and James Pamment will take charge as the batting and fielding coaches respectively. Both Arun Kumar and Pamment were a part of the coaching team as assistant batting coach and fielding coach at Mumbai Indians.