NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians batter Ishan Kishan imitated bowling coach Lasith Malinga’s bowling action during a training session ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
In a video posted by MI on X, Kishan was seen putting on a blue-coloured wig that resembled Malinga’s hair and even imitated his bowling action. Even Malinga joined in the action as Kishan went on to flaunt the former Sri Lankan pacer’s bowling style. Malinga was all smiles as Kishan continued to impersonate the iconic pacer.
Malinga banne ka tareeka bohot 𝒌𝒆𝒛𝒖𝒂𝒍 hai Ishan Bhai 🤣💙#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @ishankishan51 @malinga_ninety9 pic.twitter.com/3oOk4gjbVR
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 15, 2024
Recently Kishan was “not considered” as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the list of central contracts.
The left-handed batter skipped Ranji Trophy matches recently despite not featuring for the national team.
He was in the Indian squad for the South Africa Test series squad last year but pulled out due to ‘personal reasons’.
The 25-year-old last played a T20I for India in November last year, sitting out Ranji matches featuring Jharkhand.
On the other hand, Malinga has played a pivotal role in Mumbai’s success as a player. Overall, Malinga won five championships with Mumbai: the Champions League T20 in 2011 and four IPLs (2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019). Malinga played for Mumbai in 139 games overall, taking 195 wickets at a 7.12 economy rate. Out of those, 170 wickets, the sixth-most in the league, came in the IPL.
In October 2023, he replaced Shane Bond as the bowling coach and will work with Jasprit Bumrah to prepare a strong bowling line-up for the five-time champions.
MI Squad: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (c), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma. (ANI)