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'I felt I could use my experience and give back to the game' - Lasith Malinga on joining RR

Legendary Sri Lankan seamer and the most successful bowler in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lasith Malinga is all set to kickstart a new journey in the cash-rich league.


Malinga last featured in the IPL in his capacity as a player back in 2019, and now he has been signed up by the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) as the bowling coach.


This is not the first time that the 38-year-old will be playing the role of a bowling consultant in the IPL. He played the same role for the Mumbai Indians (MI) back in the 2018 season.


Reacting to joining the Royals' set-up ahead of the 15th season, Malinga said that his basic aim will be to pass on a rich wealth of experience to the youngsters.


The champion seamer seems to be enjoying whatever time he has spent with his new franchise till now.


"It is certainly a new thing for me to get into coaching and pass on my experience to the younger players. I have played this role before with Mumbai, and now I'm delighted to be working with Rajasthan Royals. It is a new place for me, but I'm enjoying my role so far working with such a talented group of bowlers." said Malinga as quoted by ANI.


Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals have had an intense rivalry over the years, with Malinga being a part of several memorable games between the two sides.


Recollecting his impression of the Royals as an opposition player, the Sri Lankan legend said:


"The first thing that always stayed with me was the color - pink. I always saw the team have good international and local players, and whenever I used to face them, it was tough. I think they were always very competitive, and could beat any team on their day."



Malinga also revealed that it was actually last year when his former colleague and head coach of the Royals, Kumar Sangakkara, approached him for the coaching role.


However,  Covid restrictions and his reluctance to be away from family put paid to those plans. The former T20 World Cup-winning skipper recently served as a bowling consultant to the national side during the T20 series in Australia and he felt that this was the right time for him to 'give back to the game'.


"It was actually last year that Kumar (Sangakkara) asked me if I was interested. But with COVID and all the bubble restrictions, I didn't want to stay away from my family. But this year, having also worked with the Sri Lankan team, I felt I could use my experience and give back to the game that I love, by working with this group of players," he added.


Despite being a part of just 10 seasons, Malinga remains the most successful bowler in the history of the IPL.


The yorker specialist claimed as many as 170 wickets in 122 games at an average of 19.80 and an economy rate of 7.14, including 6 four-wicket-hauls and a sole five-for.

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