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.

Tim Southee has quietly become one of the IPL’s most bankable death-over specialists, piling up 47 wickets from 54 bowling innings across ten seasons for six franchises. The New Zealand quick’s most recent spell with Kolkata Knight Riders—his home since 2021—has seen him own the tough overs, landing four three-wicket hauls while never once conceding a five-for. Operating at an 8.67 economy rate and striking every 25.66 balls, Southee’s 1,206 legal deliveries have cost batters 1,742 runs but have also delivered momentum-turning breakthroughs. Away from the ball, the lower-order slugger has pounced on loose deliveries when asked, racing to 120 runs off only 107 balls, including eight fours and four sixes, with a top-score of 36. Yet the real story remains his mastery with the ball: three maximums in an innings on his best day, and a career-best haul of three wickets in a match—achieved four times—showing that Southee’s value rises when the pressure peaks.

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