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.

Basil Thampi IPL story: the Kerala speedster has bowled 521 balls across five seasons, striking 22 times at a brisk 23.68 balls per wicket. He twice burst through the three-wicket barrier—his best haul—while keeping batters on edge with an economy nudging 9.74 runs an over. Drafted by Gujarat Lions in 2017, Thampi became a Sunrisers Hyderabad mainstay for the next three campaigns before the 2022 move to Mumbai Indians. With the bat he remains a handy lower-order cameo, clearing the rope once and finding the boundary another time in 32 career runs. In a league where yorkers and slower balls decide fortunes, Thampi’s 22 IPL wickets and two 3-fers mark him as the impact quick ready to turn a game in one fiery spell.

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