20 August 2020 12:00 am
Udana to leave for UAE tomorrow
By Bipin Dani
There seems to be some mystery around Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga’s appearance at the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.
“He has not yet sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and we have not heard of him training anywhere,” a source close to the pacer said.
The right-arm fast bowler, who will turn 37 on August 28, has been hired by the Mumbai Indians.
“It is not that at this point we doubt about his participation in the IPL but surprisingly his private training schedules are also not known to anyone in Sri Lanka,” the source tracking the development, added.
Because of his frequent knee injury problems, Malinga has his own special training programmes.
In the meantime, the 32-year-old all-rounder Isuru Udana is all set to leave for UAE on Friday.
“Yes, he has sought permission and SLC has no issue to grant him permission.”
Udana will be representing the Royal Challengers team and will get the experience to play with Team India skipper Virat Kohli and South Africa’s AB De Villers.
Legendary cricketer Muthiah Muralitharan, who will be the bowling mentor for the Sunrisers, Hyderabad team will leave for UAE on September 4.
His Indian wife Madhi will not be able to cheer for the team at the grounds.