IPL Play of the Day: Eshan Malinga’s Deadly Yorkers Sink Rajasthan Royals

There is still no perfect answer to the yorker. In an age of slower balls and clever variations, it remains the ultimate weapon—and Eshan Malinga is fast making it his signature.

Trained under Lasith Malinga, the young seamer showcased that old-school mastery to perfection, delivering at the death to seal a five-wicket win for Sunrisers Hyderabad over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

THE OVER THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

On a night ruled by the bat—headlined by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 36-ball hundred—Malinga’s 19th over flipped the script. With Donovan Ferreira and Shimron Hetmyer set to explode, Rajasthan looked primed for a massive finish. Instead, they ran into a wall of yorkers. Malinga began with two suffocating dot balls, denying Hetmyer room, and never relented.

Ferreira couldn’t break free either. One skidding low full toss forced a mistimed hit straight to Heinrich Klaasen in the deep. Just five runs came off the over, a return that completely stalled Rajasthan’s charge.

SRH PULL IT BACK

At 175/3 after 14 overs, Rajasthan were eyeing 240-plus. But Hyderabad’s bowlers slammed the brakes, conceding only 53 runs in the final six overs. Captain Pat Cummins led the charge as well, giving away just four runs in the 17th over and dismissing Riyan Parag with a pinpoint yorker.

FROM ROUGH START TO MATCH-WINNER

Malinga’s rise has been one of the defining subplots of the season. After a tough start against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he leaked 35 in two overs, he has steadily evolved into a go-to option at the death. Since then, he has picked up 14 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 8.8, underlining both control and impact. Apart from one expensive outing against Punjab Kings, he has been consistently effective.

SRH ON THE UP

With Malinga hitting his stride and Cummins finding rhythm, Sunrisers Hyderabad are beginning to look like a well-rounded side. What once seemed a bowling weakness is now a clear strength. Their turnaround—from three defeats in four games to a spot in the top three—has been remarkable, and Malinga has been at the centre of it.

A trip to Mumbai awaits next, where he could play in front of his mentor. If current form holds, Hyderabad will once again turn to their yorker specialist when it matters most.