Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana Set To Miss First Week Of IPL 2020
Published - 31 Jul 2020, 11:54 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:32 AM
Sri Lankan duo Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana are set to miss the first week of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). The thirteenth edition of the tournament will begin on September 19 in the UAE. The entire schedule of the league will be out after the IPL Governing Council’s meeting.
But Lasith Malinga and Udana will miss the initial phase of the much-anticipated tournament. The reason for their absence is their participation in the inaugural season of the Lankan Premier League (LPL).
The logistics of the LPL are yet to be finalised by the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) but media reports have claimed that no Sri Lankan player will be allowed to leave mid-way for the IPL or any other tournament until the final of the LPL is held. The tentative date for the final of the tournament is 20th September, one day after the commencement of the much-awaited 2020 season of the IPL.
In such a case, both Lasith Malinga and Udana will only be able to leave for the UAE after the 20th of September and will have to serve a mandatory quarantine of 72 hours after arriving in the country. Thus, they are likely to miss the action in IPL 2020 by at least a week.
Mumbai Indians will sorely miss Lasith Malinga as the Sri Lankan legend has been an integral part of their side since the inaugural season of the league. The right-arm pacer, who has picked up 177 wickets in 122 games for Mumbai Indians so far, starred with the ball when the franchise won a record fourth IPL title last year.
On the other hand, Udana was gearing up for his first season in the IPL. He is set to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
