Who is Eshan Malinga? The rising star for Sunrisers Hyderabad who is in Purple Cap race

Eshan Malinga is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young bowlers in (Indian Premier League) IPL 2026. The Sri Lankan pacer grabbed the spotlight after his recent match-winning performance against Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. In the match against DC tonight, he picked up four crucial wickets and helped his team secure another win alongside Abhishek Sharma.

Malinga played a key role in SRH’s dominant 47-run win against DC. Defending a big total of 242 powered by Abhishek's batting, he delivered a brilliant spell of 4/32 in his four overs. He dismissed important batters like Nitish Rana, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma, breaking the backbone of DC’s chase. His performance ensured that DC never really got close to the target.

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With this four-wicket haul, Malinga has now taken his tally to 12 wickets in the IPL 2026 season. He is currently among the leading wicket-takers and is just one wicket behind Anshul Kamboj of Chennai Super Kings, making him a strong contender for the Purple Cap.

"It looks like he has settled into the IPL a little bit more. A little bit more confident in himself, and he's having the wicket, and that's probably the difference. I think previous outings, he was probably a little bit more along the wicket and wasn't hitting the lengths that we saw in the last couple of fixtures. So along with the ability to use that change of pace, and he's got the line right on the change of pace. We've seen a couple of wickets now throughout this tournament, particularly in the last couple of games, hitting that wide line on a length with that slow ball. So, great skills," Mitchell McClenaghan said on JioHotstar.

Who is Eshan Malinga?

Malinga started his cricket journey in Sri Lanka, coming through the ranks at Sivali College in Ratnapura. He made his domestic debut for Ragama Cricket Club in 2022 across formats. He made his first-class debut in September 2022, and also played his maiden List-A and T20 match the same year.

His rapid rise in domestic cricket helped him catch attention, eventually earning him a national contract in 2025, followed by an IPL opportunity with SRH.