Lasith Malinga is the IPL’s ultimate yorker king. Across nine seasons—all in Mumbai Indians colours from 2009 to 2019—he scalped 170 wickets in 122 innings, never letting batters breathe at a stunning strike-rate of 16.63 balls per wicket. The sling-armed Sri Lankan terrorised line-ups with 18 three-wicket bursts and a memorable five-for, conceding only 7.15 runs an over despite bowling 2,827 balls of unforgiving yorkers and slower ones at the death. Malinga’s mastery peaked when he nipped out four overs for just 5.1 runs each, a record economy for any 170-wicket bowler in the league’s history. With the bat he was a handy lower-order pinch-hitter, smashing five sixes and six fours in 20 innings for 88 quick runs at a strike-rate of 88. Yet it is with the ball that Malinga became Mumbai’s heartbeat, lifting four IPL titles and finishing as the franchise’s all-time leading wicket-taker—an unbreakable legacy built on 170 scalps, 18 three-fors and one spell for the ages.

Axar Patel has built an IPL résumé that reads like a textbook on left-arm spin mastery. Across 12 seasons—eight with Delhi Capitals and four with Punjab Kings—he has sent down 3,315 balls, claiming 128 wickets at a strike-rate of 25.90 and a frugal economy of 7.37. While four three-fers headline his match-turning bursts, it is his relentless dot-ball pressure that has made him the Capitals’ middle-overs choke artist. Yet Axar is no one-trick bowler. Walking in at No. 6 or 7, he has muscled 1,916 runs at a strike-rate of 133, peppering boundaries with 130 fours and 94 sixes. His unbeaten 66 remains the loudest statement of his finishing ability, and three half-centuries underline a knack for clutch cameos. Whether throttling batters with flat, quickish spin or clearing ropes with those clean swings, Axar Patel remains the quintessential modern all-rounder Delhi build their plans around.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.