Lasith Malinga, the veteran Sri Lankan pacer, has retired from franchise cricket after his IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians (MI), agreed to release him ahead of the IPL 2021 auction. Malinga was one of the top players released by franchises ahead of the Indian Premier League’s upcoming season (IPL 2021).
Malinga declined to compete in the IPL 2020, citing personal reasons for his decision to withdraw from the competition. The Mumbai Indians opted against keeping him in the IPL 2021 auction on Wednesday. He has now announced that he will no longer play franchise cricket. In the international circuit, Malinga has already hung up his boots in the ODI and Test formats.
Malinga has agreed to retire from professional cricket, according to the Mumbai Indians. “Lasith Malinga has agreed to retire from franchise cricket,” the Mumbai Indians revealed in a press release. The Sri Lankan speedster told the Mumbai Indians management of his decision earlier this month, effectively withdrawing himself from the champion side’s retention wish list.”
Lasith Malinga is the all-time top wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League
In terms of the Indian Premier League’s history, Malinga is the most popular bowler. He’s played a total of 122 games in the lucrative league so far, taking 170 wickets, the most of any bowler in the series. In the IPL, he has six four-wicket halls and one five-wicket hall to his credit.
Malinga is one of the few players in the history of the Indian Premier League to have represented a single franchise. Malinga has been affiliated with the Mumbai Indians franchise since the tournament’s inception in 2008, and he has now finished his franchise cricket career in Mumbai.