Lasith Malinga's 3 best moments for MI

Lasith Malinga will go down as a cricketing legend, not only in Sri Lankan cricket but also in franchise cricket as one of the best T20 bowlers to have ever played the game. What he achieved with Mumbai Indians (MI) over the years was nothing short of extraordinary.

In more than a decade, batters around the world couldn't quite deal with the accuracy of Malinga as well as the change of pace owing to his sling action. His IPL career saw him take an extraordinary 170 wickets from 122 games for MI. Not just that, he also played a crucial role in their Champions League T20 wins in 2011 and 2013.

As the former legendary pacer turns 40 today, let's have a look at his three best moments for Mumbai Indians:

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#3 Lasith Malinga's Best bowling figures for MI

Lasith Malinga just has one five-wicket haul for MI, but that was arguably the most unplayable spell he has bowled in the Blue and Gold Jersey. Mumbai played the Delhi Daredevils in their first game of the 2011 edition of the IPL and, safe to say, Malinga made an absolute mockery of the opposition.

The star pacer was too good with his combination of searing yorkers and slower balls as the Daredevils were bundled out for just 95 in their own den. He ended up with figures of just 5/13 and was just too hot to handle for the Delhi batters.

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#2 Malinga the finisher

Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have an age-old rivalry and one of the main reasons for the same has been some incredible encounters between the two over the years. One such game was during the 2011 edition of the Champions League T20 in Chennai. MI kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and the chase of 159 seemed a steep one.

However, they found an unlikely hero in Lasith Malinga, who with bat in hand, turned the game on its head. Showing some incredible display of hitting straight down the ground, Malinga scored 37* off just 18 balls and added 53 runs with Harbhajan Singh for the eighth wicket.

MI won by three wickets and it was truly a special knock from Malinga that snatched the win.

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#1 Fairytale finish

Lasith Malinga's final piece of action as a player for MI remains arguably the greatest moment in the history of the franchise. He played a major role in their last-gasp win over CSK in the 2019 IPL final.

Chennai needed just nine runs off six balls to claim back-to-back IPL titles and Malinga had an off-day till that point. However, the legendary bowler proved why he is arguably one of the best when he stepped up for that final over.

Delivering some sensational Yorkers, Lasith Malinga got the equation down to two runs needed off the final ball. While the batting team would have an edge in such situations, Malinga produced an incredible slower-ball yorker that trapped Shardul Thakur right in front.

The umpire adjudged him out and the entire MI team was in delirium. Lasith Malinga was carried off the field by his MI teammates and perhaps deservedly so, as the legend had produced something truly extraordinary to hand MI their fourth IPL title.