Lasith Malinga opts out of IPL 2020, James Pattinson called up as replacement

Mumbai Indians speedster Lasith Malinga has decided to skip this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons. He will now fly back home to Sri Lanka, with Australian pacer James Pattinson set to replace him.

It was reported by ESPNCricinfo earlier that Malinga would have missed the initial matches of the IPL. The Sri Lankan wanted to be by his ailing father, who was ill and required surgery. 

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Mumbai Indians co-owner Akash Ambani said in a statement, “James (Pattinson) is the right fit for us and adds to our pace attack options available at hand especially for the conditions we will play in this season.

“Lasith (Malinga) is a legend and a pillar of MI’s strength. There is no denying the fact that we will miss Lasith’s cricketing acumen this season. However, we fully understand Lasith’s need to be in Sri Lanka with his family during this time.

Mumbai Indians is founded on the values of ‘One Family’ and for us, the members of our squad and their wellbeing will always hold utmost importance. We welcome James to our One Family.”

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James Pattinson went unsold in the previous two auctions of the IPL, with no franchise willing to match his base price tag of INR 1 crore. Pattinson, having been picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011 for $100,000, never played a single IPL match to date, despite being in the squad for three seasons.

Injuries have plagued Pattinson for a large part of his career, and at 30, the Victorian would look to make some inroads, having received an opportunity to play for the 4-time IPL champions.