[Watch] Lasith Malinga joins MI camp ahead of IPL 2024; captain Hardik Pandya greets him with an affectionate hug
Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Lasith Malinga joined the team's camp to commence preparations ahead of the upcoming IPL 2024. Newly appointed captain Hardik Pandya and a few other MI players have already linked up with the squad in Mumbai.
Malinga was the bowling coach for Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a couple of seasons after his retirement as a player following a victorious IPL 2019 campaign with MI. After IPL 2023, the Mumbai franchise parted ways with their long-serving bowling coach Shane Bond, and roped in Malinga.
MI took to their official Instagram handle and updated fans about Malinga's arrival in the camp by sharing a video. In it, we can see Hardik welcoming him with a warm embrace. The Sri Lankan also started working with several young bowlers like Arjun Tendulkar in the nets.
Mumbai Indians captioned the post:
"𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚. Bowling coach. Reporting for duty 🫡💙 #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @malinga_ninety9 @hardikpandya93
MI's IPL 2024 campaign will begin on March 24 with the clash against Hardik Pandya's former team Gujarat Titans
Hardik Pandya's new journey with MI as captain will commence with the match against his former franchise Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 24. He captained the GT side for two seasons. The all-rounder lifted the IPL trophy with GT in their debut season in 2022 before losing the final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last year.
MI pulled off a shocking move by bringing Hardik Pandya back to the team in an all-money trade last November and then proceeded to replace Rohit Sharma with him as the captain.
Here is the schedule for the first four matches of MI in IPL 2024:
March 24: Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, 7.30 pm
March 27: SunRisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, 7.30 pm
April 1: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 7.30 pm
April 7: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 3.30 pm
Do you think MI have the ammunition to win IPL 2024 under Hardik Pandya's leadership? Let us know in the comments section below.