21 January,2021 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Lasith Malinga
Defending champions Mumbai Indians on Wednesday released Sri Lankan pacer and Indian Premier League's highest wicket-taker Lasith Malinga ahead of the upcoming season.
Malinga, who has played a staggering 122 IPL matches, has 170 wickets to his credit, the highest in the cash-rich league, with the best bowling figures of 5-13.
MI decided to retain the core of the team, including skipper Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, and all-rounders Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya.
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As per the statement, the five-time champions now have 18 players in their squad, with seven spots open which can be filled in the mini-auction.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson replaced Steven Smith as Rajasthan Royals captain after the Australian batsman was released. Chennai Super Kings retained Suresh Raina.
"As the IPL has grown, the captaincy has become a year-round task, and as such strong local Indian leadership has become increasingly important," said RR owner Manoj Badale in a statement.
"Sanju made his debut as a Royal, and it has been a joy to watch his development over the last 8 years. He is the ideal person to lead the Royals into the 2021 season," he added.
Mumbai Indians
. Lasith Malinga
. Mitch McClenaghan
. James Pattinson
. Nathan Coulter-Nile
. Sherfane Rutherford
. Prince Balwant Rai
. Digvijay Deshmukh
Chennai Super Kings
. Harbhajan Singh
. Kedar Jadhav
. Piyush Chawla
. Shane Watson
. Murali Vijay
. Monu Kumar Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders
. Tom Banton
. Chris Green
. Siddhesh Lad
. Nikhil Naik
. M Siddharth
. Harry Gurney
Kings XI Punjab
. Glenn Maxwell
. Karun Nair
. Hardus Viljoen
. Jagadeesha Suchith
. Mujeeb ur Rahman
. Sheldon Cottrell
. Jimmy Neesham
. Krishnappa Gowtham
. Tajinder Singh
RCB
. Chris Morris
. Aaron Finch
. Moeen Ali
. Isuru Udana
. Dale Steyn
. Shivam Dube
. Umesh Yadav
. Pawan Negi
. Gurkeerat Mann
. Parthiv Patel
Delhi Capitals
. Mohit Sharma
. Tushar Deshpande
. Keemo Paul
. Sandeep Lamichhane
. Alex Carey
. Jason Roy
Rajasthan Royals
. Steven Smith
. Ankit Rajpoot
. Oshane Thomas
. Akash Singh
. Varun Aaron
. Tom Curran
. Anirudha Joshi
. Shashank Singh
Sunrisers Hyderabad
. Billy Stanlake
. Fabian Allen
. Sanjay Yadav
. B Sandeep
. Y Prithvi Raj
