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.

Pragyan Ojha’s eight-season IPL journey is the story of a left-arm spinner who turned the ball, and the record books, in his favour. From 2008 to 2015 the man from Hyderabad captured 89 wickets off 1,898 balls bowled, never needing more than 21.33 deliveries to strike. Five times he wiped out three batters in a single spell, and although he never claimed a five-for, his economy of 7.39 across 90 innings underlined relentless control even on flat Indian tracks. Ojha began life in the league with Sunrisers Hyderabad, spending three seasons where he learnt the art of bowling in the PowerPlay and the middle overs alike. The move to Mumbai Indians in 2012 proved transformative: he became a key cog in the MI wheel, winning three titles between 2013-2015 and finishing his IPL career in the blue-and-gold. With the bat Ojha was used sparingly—19 innings, 45 balls, 16 runs—but the story is clearly written in the wickets column. Ninety outings, 89 victims, a best of three for, and a strike rate that bowlers brag about: Pragyan Ojha’s legacy is that of a match-winning spinner who spun Mumbai Indians to glory.

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