Lasith Malinga has made a bold move just before IPL 2026, and it would be a big shock for the five-time champions, the Mumbai Indians (MI). The legendary Sri Lankan fast bowler has decided to delay his return to the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp and stay back with the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team.
Lasith Malinga delays Mumbai Indians return before IPL 2026
At a time when the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams are busy planning and preparing, Malinga has chosen country over millions of dollars. He has made it clear that Sri Lanka duty still comes first for him despite retiring from all forms of the game in September 2021.
Malinga is set to serve as the bowling coach of the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2026 season. But instead of joining the franchise immediately, he decided to continue working with the Sri Lanka team. He recently completed a short-term role as a consultant fast-bowling coach.
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His main task was to prepare Sri Lanka’s pace attack for the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which started in February. Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya is extremely happy with Malinga’s commitment. This decision was not easy.
Lasith Malinga made a big sacrifice for Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya
The IPL is the world’s biggest T20 league, and the Mumbai Indians count heavily on Malinga’s expertise. He shares a special bond with the franchise, where he enjoyed massive success as a player and later moved into coaching. Yet, Malinga has shown that national duty still comes first.
Sanath Jayasuriya was quoted as saying by News Wire: “Lasith Malinga made a big sacrifice for Sri Lanka. He informed us that he wanted to stay with the Sri Lanka team instead of joining his IPL team for his coaching stint. I’m very grateful for that.”
“Lasith Malinga made a big sacrifice for Sri Lanka. He informed that he wanted to stay with the Sri Lanka team instead of joining his IPL team for his coaching stint. I’m very grateful for that.” 🇱🇰
– Sanath Jayasuriya, expressing happiness that Lasith Malinga is continuing with… pic.twitter.com/qV9guLYDDo
— NewsWire 🇱🇰 (@NewsWireLK) February 21, 2026
Lasith Malinga’s legacy still shines bright
Meanwhile, Lasith Malinga ended his international career in September 2021 after serving Sri Lanka for 17 long years. He finished with 546 wickets across all formats and left behind a legacy that very few fast bowlers can match. Malinga was not just another pacer.
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His famous slingshot bowling action made him different from others. Batsmen struggled to read his arm speed and release point. His deadly yorkers, especially aimed at the toes, were his biggest weapon. He created history many times in his career.
Malinga remains the only bowler to take three hat-tricks in ODI cricket. Overall, he picked up five hat-tricks in international cricket, the highest by any bowler in the world. No other bowler in history has taken four wickets in four consecutive balls twice in international cricket.
| Lasith Malinga – IPL Career Statistics | |||||||||||||
| Tournament | Team | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w |
| IPL | MI | 122 | 122 | 2827 | 3365 | 170 | May-13 | May-13 | 19.79 | 7.14 | 16.6 | 6 | 1 |
Sri Lanka storm into Super Eight, ready to face England
Speaking about the Sri Lanka cricket team, they have qualified for the Super Eight stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. The co-hosts of the tournament will be England in their Super 8 match on February 22 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele.
Earlier, they had suffered a shocking defeat against Zimbabwe in the group stage, but crushed Australia, Oman, and Ireland in the first round at home.
