New Delhi: While Mumbai Indians squad members and fans delightfully welcomed the arrival of veteran speedster Lasith Malinga, they were shell shocked seeing Ambati Rayudu being stretchered off with a groin injury during the first game against Rising Pune Supergiant.
Malinga, who warmed up for the 10th season of Indian Premier League with a hat-trick against Bangladesh, will add mettle to the Mumbai franchise’s bowling attack but losing the ever-reliant Rayudu is a brutal blow that will weaken the teams batting line-up.
How good is it to see Slinga back! #CricketMeriJaan pic.twitter.com/7u30tumEWo
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 8, 2017
MI coach Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed that Rayudu will be out for at least 10 days, while Saurabh Tiwary could be the likely replacement.
The 31-year-old Rayudu has suffered a grade 1 groin tear and will sit out his team’s packed schedule for the next 7-10 days in which they play the likes of Kolkata Knight Riders on April 9, defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 12, Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 14 and Gujarat Lions on April 16.
Rayudu could make a comeback for the game against Kings XI Punjab on April 20 but MI will have to dig deep in their squad in order to find a reliable replacement of the veteran batsman and it might just be an ideal opportunity for one of the lesser known players to cement their place in the squad and make a name for themselves.
Ahead of MI’s clash with KKR, Gautam Gambhir has asked his boys to be wary of the threat that Lasith Malinga possesses, hoping Chris Lynn’s Lynnsanity will swing them around for the second match in a row.
Source: Zee News