IPL 10: Lasith Malinga becomes first bowler to 150 IPL scalps

Mumbai Indians pace bowler Lasith Malinga became the first bowler in the history of the IPL to complete 150 wickets. The veteran speedster has been one of the core players of the MI franchise since the first edition of the tournament. He has been a perennial performer who has been the proud holder of the Purple Cap too.

Malinga completed his distinction of taking 150 IPL scalps during Mumbai Indians’ match against the Delhi Daredevils at Delhi on May 6. His 150th scalp was Delhi batsman Shreyas Iyer. He managed to outplay the young batsman and had him caught by Harbhajan Singh on 3 in the game. In the match, he finished with impressive figures of 2/7. By the end of the fixture, he had 151 wickets to his name.

At present, as on May 8 2017, he has a total of 152 IPL wickets. In all, he has been a veteran player in the shortest format of the game. He has 320 wickets in this format in 235 appearances. He has a very impressive average fo 18.3 with the ball. To go with his 8 four wicket hauls, Lasith Malinga boasts of 4 five wicket hauls in the format. Over the years, he has represented various teams in his career.

The teams that Lasith Malinga has represented during his career are – Sri Lanka, BCCSL Academy XI, Galle Cricket Club, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, Kent, Melbourne Stars, Mumbai Indians, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Ruhuna, Ruhuna Reds, Ruhuna Royals, and Southern Express.

His tally of 320 scalps is next to only West Indies bowler Dwayne Bravo’s tally of 367 wickets. Bravo is the leading wicket taker in the shortest format of the game and has scalped 367 wickets in 344 matches. His average, however, is slightly on the higher side compared to Malinga.

Stats courtesy: HR Gopalakrishna (www.hrgcricstats.com)