Mumbai Indians have signed veteran Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga as the bowling coach for IPL 2024, the franchise said in a statement. The Sri Lanka legend will join the Mumbai Indians coaching team led by Mark Boucher, and his former teammate, Kieron Pollard, forging a strong partnership in the dugout.Malinga replaces Shane Bond who recently parted ways with the franchise.“It is truly an honour for me to be appointed Bowling Coach of Mumbai Indians and my journey in the #OneFamily continues, following MI New York and MI Cape Town. I am looking forward to working closely with Mark, Polly, Rohit and the rest of the team, especially the bowling unit, whose approach I loved last season, and the young MI talent that has the potential to excel, backed by the passionate MI Paltan,” Lasith Malinga said on his appointment.
Malinga is also the bowling coach for two other teams owned by the Mumbai Indians - MI Cape Town in the SA20 league, South Africa; and MI New York in Major League Cricket, USA. Malinga has spent close to 13 years with Mumbai Indians since 2009 and has won seven trophies with the franchise across leagues, including four IPL titles and two Champions League T20 titles as a player, and one Major League Cricket title as bowling coach. He had earlier served as the fast bowling coach of Rajasthan Royals. MI recently issued a statement on their X account and confirmed the departure of the Bond. "Mumbai Indians announce that Shane Bond’s successful tenure that began in 2015 has ended after a nine-year stint with the team, bringing down the curtain on an illustrious career that included 4 IPL trophies as bowling coach for Mumbai Indians, and Head Coach of MI Emirates in the inaugural season in ILT20. One of the greatest ever bowlers of his generation, Shane’s approach to bowling was that of an artist, able to master the conditions and deliver for the team, as a player, leader and then as a coach.