Lasith Malinga blames his dropped catch of Kallis for Mumbai Indians' defeat

Mumbai Indians bowler Lasith Malinga blames his dropped catch for team’s defeat.

Mumbai Indians‘ bowler Lasith Malinga admits that it was him who was at fault for the team’s defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match in this year’s Indian Premier League.

“We bowled really well in the first 10 overs, but let them off the hook after that,” Malinga revealed in his exclusive post-match interview with iplt20com. “We let Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey build a very large partnership and then they had a couple of really big overs. What really cost us the game was the catch I dropped of Kallis when he was on 34.”

The Sri Lankan pacer had earlier bowled exceptionally well and ended his spell with figures of 4-0-23-4 in the first innings, however, it was the Kolkata Knight Riders who eventually cruised to comfortable victory as they won the match by 41 runs, thanks to brilliant performances from South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine.

“I bowled well and it was good to be among wickets straight away. We lost as a team, which is disappointing, but this was just the first game and the team is confident we will gain momentum as we go forward into the tournament. We will treat this match as a learning experience and improve upon the various aspects going forward,” he added.

When asked about carrying confidence from Sri Lanka’s recent ICC World T20 win, Malinga said, “Yes, it was wonderful to be part of the winning Sri Lankan team. The T20 format is very tough on the bowlers, but I am really feeling good about my bowling at the moment. I am in a good mental space and am bowling well.”

“Yes, it was. But that was my job. It is very crucial to get a breakthrough in the first six overs. I did that today, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough,” he added when asked about his thoughts on getting Gautam Gambhir out on a duck.

“We bowled really well in the first 10 overs, but let them off the hook after that. We let Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey build a very large partnership and then they had a couple of really big overs. What really cost us the game was the catch I dropped of Kallis when he was on 34.”

Mumbai Indians play Royal Challengers Bangalore next this Saturday, on the 19th of April at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

What really cost Mumbai Indians the game was the catch I dropped of Kallis: Malinga #IPL http://t.co/SUhGycGPV0 pic.twitter.com/PJ325utO83

— CricketNDTV (@CricketNDTV) April 17, 2014