Eshan Malinga's Second-Half Magic Turns the Tide for SRH in IPL 2026

Eshan Malinga has emerged as the premier reverse-swing bowler in the world, dominating games with his consistent tail of more than two degrees.

Eshan Malinga: The Premier Reverse-Swing Bowler Eshan Malinga has quietly emerged as the premier reverse-swing bowler in the world. He doesn't possess the unique action of his namesake or the high pace of some other bowlers. However, he is a shrewd operator. In one match last year, Malinga reversed the ball as early as the 12th over, with a consistent tail of more than two degrees. Not just any reverse swing, but a consistent tail of more than two degrees. ## Malinga's Unique Style Sets Him Apart from Others Malinga's style is distinct from the broader category of old-ball swing. He bowls with an upright seam and no change in his release, resulting in contrast swing. For the sake of simplifying terminology, his style is sometimes put in the same basket as reverse swing. Some bowlers still bowl the way Waqar Younis used to, with the seam pointing to fine leg. Mohammad Wasim did something similar against Bangladesh in Kolkata in their 2023 ODI World Cup match. ## Malinga's Second-Half Dominance is Unmatched Malinga primarily bowls in the back half of the innings. About 60% of his deliveries for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL have come in the second half. SRH recognize what Malinga brings. They possibly designed the Hyderabad venue to be the hardest and barest of all IPL venues, with a bare pitch that scuffs up quickly when bowlers bang the ball into the surface. ## Malinga's Performance Against CSK in IPL 2026 Defending 194 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 game on Saturday, all the fast bowlers started with short balls, even with the new ball. Praful Hinge was hit for a six first ball, Nitish Kumar Reddy had Sanju Samson caught on the pull, and Sakib Hussain went for five wides down the leg side. Malinga himself bowled a brute to rip the glove of Ruturaj Gaikwad on the way to the keeper. ## Malinga's Wickets and Economy Rate are Impressive By the time Malinga came in for his second over, the 11th of the innings, the ball was ready. CSK needed just 84 off the last ten with seven wickets in hand. But Malinga turned the game on its head with the wicket of Sarfaraz Khan in that over and that of Matthew Short in the 15th. Both these deliveries swung. Since the start of IPL 2025, among the 26 fast bowlers who have bowled 100 or more balls in the back-half of the innings, only Prasidh Krishna has a better average than Malinga's 14.05. Only Jasprit Bumrah, Krishna, Marco Jansen, and Pat Cummins have been more economical than his 9.14. ## Malinga is the Best-Kept Secret at SRH It is reasonable to say there is no surprise in the names that have done better than Malinga. Bumrah is considered the greatest white-ball bowler ever, Krishna has the height, Jansen has even more height, and Cummins is a Test and ODI great. Among fast bowlers who have bowled at least 200 balls in the IPL since last year, only Anshul Kamboj has a better strike rate than Malinga, whose average is in the league of Josh Hazlewood, Krishna, and Kamboj. Not bad for someone not even the first or best of his name.