Mumbai had invested a significant sum on Madushanka – INR 4.6 crore (USD 554,000 approx.) and he stood a chance to play in the first XI as a powerplay specialist. Madushanka’s ability to swing the new ball was on show in the ODI World Cup in 2023, where he was the third-highest wicket-taker (21) behind Mohammed Shami (24) and Adam Zampa (23).
Maphaka is in his final year of school – he goes to the same one as Kagiso Rabada, St Stithians in Johannesburg. He was due to spend his summer holidays with Mumbai and then return home, but those plans have changed and he will instead spend March, April and May with a team that includes fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and coaches like Lasith Malinga.
Mumbai have six other specialist fast bowlers in their squad, although one of them, another potential starter, Gerald Coetzee, is nursing a groin injury. The new captain Hardik Pandya, having announced that he will be fit to bowl again, might well be needed to offer support to the Bumrah-led bowling attack.
