IPL 2019: 3 players who could replace Malinga in Mumbai's playing XI

Lasith Malinga starred in Mumbai Indians second win of this season's Indian Premier League against Chennai Super Kings. That, however, was his last match for some time as the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has confirmed that he will be returning home to play the Super Provincial One Day tournament; which is supposed to serve as trials for their World Cup team. Earlier, Malinga was cleared to play the IPL but as captain of the national team, Malinga volunteered to play in the tournament.

The loss of Malinga for the upcoming matches will be a huge blow for the Mumbai Indians. He has been a star performer for them this IPL and has lived up to his reputation. He even picked up three wickets in the last match and the team management will find it very hard to replace him. Mumbai have a good bench and with the inclusion of Jason Behrendorff, they would like to replace Malinga with someone who is as accurate and impactful as him. Let us have a look at 3 players who could replace him to play the next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad:

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#3. Ben Cutting

Ben Cutting is a proven player in T20 cricket (Pic courtesy-BCCI/iplt20.com)

One of the finest players of the T20 format, Ben Cutting is a good option to replace Lasith Malinga. He has played one match for Mumbai this season and had a decent outing. The one thing that gives him a little edge over other bowlers while replacing Malinga; is his exploits with this bat. In his last match before the IPL, he scored a stunning 30 ball 81 in the Big Bash League to take Brisbane heats to victory. He can play explosive shots at the top of the order in the powerplay or come down the order and finish the game for his team. In the one match that he played, he picked up the important wicket of Colin Ingram but was extremely expensive. He will be looking to make amends when given a chance again.

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#2. Mayank Markande

Mayank Markande hasn't featured much this season (Pic Courtesy-BCCI/iplt20.com)

If there is one player who hasn't got enough chances this year, it is this lad from Punjab, Mayank Markande. With his performances last year, he was expected to walk into the playing XI in the very first match itself. However, that wasn't the case and he got picked only in the 2nd and the 3rd matches before being left out against Chennai Super Kings because of an injury.

The 21-year-old hasn't been at his best this season but with Hardik Pandya and two pacers already playing, Markande could come into the side for the next match. He is a hard to read bowler and has the knack of picking up wickets in crucial moments of the game. He has proved his worth countless times in 2018 and with Lasith Malinga gone, he should make it to the team. In the two matches that he has played, he has picked up one wicket in the form of in-form batsman Parthiv Patel. He will be looking to take more wickets and find himself a permanent spot in the playing XI.

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#1. Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan is likely to come in (Pic Courtesy-BCCI/iplt20)

One of the biggest stars of Mumbai Indians, Mitchell McClenaghan will certainly be Mumbai Indians' first choice replacement with Lasith Malinga leaving a void. McClenaghan is someone who has the pace, variations and more than anything is extremely reliable. He has bailed out his team of trouble on countless occasions and was an important member of title wins in 2015 and 2017.

His performance in the opening match for was one of his best performances in the IPL as he picked up three crucial wickets in the form of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, and Keemo Paul. Though he didn't up more wickets in the following matches, he has been in good form and Mumbai would want to make use of his exploits with the ball and his handy batting at the end of innings. He will look to come back strongly and provide a match-winning performance to seal his spot in the playing XI of the team.

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