IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians sign Australia's James Pattinson as Lasith Malinga's replacement

Mumbai Indians on Wednesday announced the signing of Australian speedster James Pattinson as a replacement for veteran Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. Malinga will miss entire season of IPL due to personal reasons and will be with his family in Sri Lanka. 

Pattinson comes in as a replacement for Malinga and will join the Mumbai Indians squad currently based in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Earlier in 2011, Pattinson was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for USD 100,000 but didn’t play a single match. He ended up being on the sidelines in the next two editions as well. 

Pattinson, who is held in high regards, especially in the red-ball circuit, will now have the opportunity to prove his worth in IPL 2020. 

Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani welcomed James on board and extended all support to Malinga as he said: “James is the right fit for us and adds to our pace attack options available at hand especially for the conditions we will play in this season.

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“Lasith is a legend and a pillar of MI’s strength. There is no denying the fact that we will miss Lasith’s cricketing acumen this season. However, we fully understand Lasith’s need to be in Sri Lanka with his family during this time.

Mumbai Indians is founded on the values of ‘One Family’ and for us the members of our squad and their wellbeing will always hold utmost importance. We welcome James to our One Family.”

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Pattinson, who had a base price of INR 1 crore, went unsold in IPL 2020 auction held in Kolkata in December 2019 but comes on board for Mumbai Indians now.

IPL 2020 is scheduled to start on September 19 with the final slated to be played on November 10 in the UAE.