Eshan Malinga has established himself as one of the rising fast bowlers in the Sri Lankan ranks, having gone from an unpolished pace talent at a school cricket tournament to a proven IPL match winner for Sunrisers Hyderabad within a period of three years. Known to swing the ball both ways, Malinga has enjoyed a consistent performance-based career typical of current Sri Lankan fast bowling stars.
This article discusses his background, emergence in domestic cricket, first-class and international career, and IPL career so far.
Who Is Eshan Malinga?
The complete name of Eshan Malinga is Kiribathgala Kankanamalage Eshan Malinga Dharmasena. He is an upcoming fast bowler from the Sri Lankan team. Although he shares the same surname “Malinga” as Lasith Malinga, the famous Sri Lankan fast bowler, there is no blood relationship between them.
Quick Profile
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Eshan Malinga |
| Date of Birth | February 4, 2001 |
| Age (as of July 2026) | 25 years |
| Birthplace | Ratnapura, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in |
| Role | Bowler |
| Batting Style | Left-handed, lower order |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Education | Sivali Central College, Ratnapura |
| Domestic Teams | Ragama Cricket Club, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club |
| Franchise Teams | Jaffna Kings, Colombo Strikers, Paarl Royals, Galle Gallants, Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| IPL Price (2025) | INR 1.20 crore |
Eshan Malinga Age
Eshan Malinga was born on 4 February 2001, making him 25 years old as of July 2026.
Early Life: A Fast Bowler in the Making
Eshan Malinga was born on the 4th of February, 2001, in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka, a province renowned for producing tough cricketers. His cricketing career started at the age of 12 years old when he joined Sivali Central College, Ratnapura, to play cricket.
The turning point of his schoolboy career happened in March 2019, during the 10th “Ranmini” Battle Inter-School Big Match where Eshan bowled exceptionally well, getting 6 wickets for 28 runs in the first innings and 5 wickets for 35 runs in the second inning, with match figures of 11 wickets for 63 runs. This kind of performance during such an important game at school signaled Malinga was a promising talent.
Another notable achievement of Eshan happened in October 2019 when during Airtel Fastest Pace Bowling Program he showed exceptional pace, having reached the speed of 141 kph (87.6 mph), which is a remarkable speed even for a young bowler.
Career with Ragama (domestic)
Eshan made his first-class and List A debut for Ragama cricket club in 2022. His List A debut happened in July 2022 in a match against Negombo cricket club. Eshan’s first-class debut happened in September 2022, while his first first-class wicket belongs to Muditha Premadasa.
Also, in May 2022 Malinga made his Twenty20 debut for Ragama cricket club, taking his first T20 wicket in this match. So far, in 27 innings of his first-class career, Eshan has taken 39 wickets, with his best figures being 4/33.
Franchise Cricket: Lanka Premier League Success
It did not take long for the developing player to draw the interest of franchise scouts and get offers to play for Colombo Strikers and Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). His contributions were crucial for Jaffna Kings who won the championship in 2024 – another remarkable accomplishment that contributed to further enhancing the reputation of the bowler in Sri Lankan cricket.
His development as a franchise player also brought Malinga into contact with the South African team Paarl Royals in South Africa’s franchise system.
Finally, in May 2026, the player reinforced his links to Sri Lankan domestic T20 cricket with signing with Galle Gallants as the “Local Star Player” of LPL Season 6.
International Career: Sri Lanka
Eventually, Malinga’s impressive results at the domestic level resulted in his first selection to the Sri Lankan ODI squad in December 2024 for the series against New Zealand. The young bowler made his ODI debut on January 5, 2025, playing against New Zealand in Wellington – an extremely important moment in the life of every developing cricketer.
He was able to make his debut in the T20I format too in November 2025, playing against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi. So far, the young bowler had an opportunity to represent Sri Lanka against several countries, including Pakistan and England.
Currently, the statistics of the player at the international level show that Malinga is still trying to establish himself. Thus, in ODIs, the bowler regularly takes wickets, his best performance being 3 wickets for 35 runs. In T20Is, his best figures are 2 for 24 or 2 for 27.
IPL Breakthrough with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The best moment of Malinga’s career came when he was bought at the IPL 2025 mega auction by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at a price of INR 1.20 crore — a price that was four times higher than his base price of INR 30 lakh due to strong faith of franchises in his future success.
He proved everyone right in the first year, when he played his debut IPL season and finished it by taking 13 wickets in 7 games, proving his value as a bowler. The IPL debut of Malinga took place against Punjab Kings on April 12, 2025, in the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
As the player showed very good results in the first year, SRH retained him in the next season, which happened in 2026, for the price of 1.2 crore that the player got at the mega auction. And he showed even better results, taking 20 wickets in 15 games and becoming the 6th top wicket-taker of the season in the entire tournament. In two seasons of IPL together Malinga took 33 wickets in 22 matches with 8 catches in total, which puts him among the most productive pace bowlers in IPL.
Bowling style: reverse swing specialist
Malinga has been known from the start of his professional career for his ability to generate reverse swing in the second half of the inning in T20 cricket. It made him extremely useful in the death overs of the match where a lot of things depend on the last few balls of the inning.
Frequently Asked Questions
He is a Sri Lankan fast bowler who plays for Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
Malinga was born on February 4, 2001, in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.
He bowls right arm fast-medium and batters left-handed in the lower order.
He made his ODI debut on January 5, 2025, against New Zealand in Wellington and his T20I debut in November 2025 against Zimbabwe.
He plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad having bought for INR 1.20 crore in the IPL 2025 auction and retained for 2026 at the same price.
Till now he has taken 33 wickets in 22 matches of the IPL and took 20 wickets in the 2026 season making him the 6th highest wicket-taker of that season.
He started his domestic cricket career from Ragama Cricket Club and has also represented Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club.
In 2024, he played a significant role in helping his side, Jaffna Kings win LPL title.
On March 2019, he took 11 wickets in a match (6/28 and 5/35) in the Ranmini Battle Inter-School Big Match.
His maximum speed in bowling was 141 kph (87.6 mph), making him the fastest bowler in the Under-19 category in Airtel Fastest Pace program in 2019.
Final Thoughts
The development of Eshan Malinga from being a pace bowler at Sivali Central College to being an impactful player in the IPL as a member of the Sunrisers Hyderabad is an example of gradual progression based on performance and not any dramatic breakthrough that has been seen from time to time. The consistent wicket-taking ability of the bowler as well as his reputation for causing reverse swing in the death overs indicates that even though he is still in the learning process, he is proving himself at the highest levels of club cricket and international cricket.
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