Ishan Kishan's Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a 10-run win over Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, April 18 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Pacer Eshan Malinga played a key role with a bowling spell of 3/29 in SRH's win.
Varun Aaron lavishes praise on Eshan Malinga
The Sri-Lankan pacer picked three crucial wickets of CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matt Short and Sarfaraz Khan by giving just 29 runs in his quota of four overs at an economy rate of 7.25.
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In an interaction with Jio Hotstar, SRH bowling coach Varun Aaron lavished praise on the 25-year-old pacer for maintaining his consistency, labelling him an underrated bowler.
"Eshan Malinga is a very underrated bowler. Since the start of the campaign, he has bowled very well. He bowled well last season too. Especially when the ball reverses, he becomes even more effective towards the death overs. He can bowl at around 145 km/h, has a sharp bouncer, and can nail the perfect yorker. He is a pure T20 bowler with all-round ability," said Varun Aaron.
Varun further noted Malinga's ability to bowl well with the new ball, saying that he can help SRH and Sri Lanka with that in the coming future.
"I believe he can take the new ball as well, not just for us going forward, but even for Sri Lanka," added Varun Aaron.
Eshan Malinga's stats in IPL 2026
So far in six matches, the Sri-Lankan pacer has clinched eight wickets at an economy rate of 9.73 with an average of 23.12. The spell of 3/29 against Chennai Super Kings turned out to be his personal best in the tournament.
Eshan Malinga made his IPL debut in 2025 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, securing 13 wickets in seven games. He was picked by SRH for Rs 1.20 crore.