Updated: September 2, 2020 6:52:53 pm

Mumbai Indians signed Australian pacer James Pattinson as replacement for Lasith Malinga. (PTI)

Lasith Malinga has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League 2020 season. The Sri Lankan fast bowler has requested unavailability for the season for personal reasons and to be with family back home in Sri Lanka.

Mumbai Indians (MI) signed Australian speedster James Pattinson as a replacement for Malinga for season 13 of the tournament.

Mumbai Indians signs James Pattinson as replacement to Lasith Malinga @IExpressSports

— Devendra Pandey (@pdevendra) September 2, 2020

Pattinson will join the MI Family currently based in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

“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 in UAE,” the club said in a statement.

“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.” it added.

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