Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga joined the Mumbai Indians squad on Friday evening, ending the uncertainty surrounding his availability for the ninth edition of the IPL. 

However, he is unlikely to be available for the matches immediately, with the pacer still recuperating from a knee injury.

Mumbai Indians coach Ricky Ponting had confirmed two days before the start of the IPL, that the pacer is likely to miss the first half of the tournament with the injury Malinga sustained at the start of the Asia Cup. The former Australian captain had also said that, Malinga will join the squad after the first week to have his fitness assessed.

“I believe he will be joining us after the first couple of games to have his fitness assessed. Right now it’s unlikely he will take part in the first half of the tournament anyway,” Ponting had said, reported ESPNcricinfo. 

Malinga’s last match was in February against UAE in the Asia Cup, where he picked four wickets for 24 runs. The pacer missed the rest of the matches in the Asia Cup and stepped down as the captain after the debacle, and also pulled out of the World T20 after failing to recover from the injury in time.

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board had also said last week, that the all-time leading wicket-taker in the IPL would need to go through a fitness test before they can give him a go-ahead.

-Agencies