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.

South African left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell has quietly built a reputation as one of the IPL’s most consistent death-over operators, and his 2023 return with Royal Challengers Bengaluru underlined why franchises keep calling him back. Across five seasons from 2011 to 2023, Parnell has sent down 723 balls, struck 35 times and conceded only 937 runs—numbers that translate to a tight economy of 7.78 and a strike-rate of 20.66. While his four three-wicket hauls show the ability to break partnerships, the absence of a five-for highlights a career of disciplined containment rather than headline-grabbing bursts. With the bat he is a lower-order cameo merchant: 65 runs in 80 balls, four boundaries and a solitary six, but his highest score of 16 shows his brief stay at the crease is usually spent rotating the strike or finding the fence once before departing. After stints with Pune Warriors and Delhi Capitals, the 2023 RCB chapter saw the 33-year-old prove again that experience and left-arm angle make him an asset on Indian pitches.

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