Eshan Malinga is one of the most promising Sri Lankan fast bowlers in the International arena. His pace, accuracy and pressure of his bowling have won him fans for Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Eshan’s humble background did not deter him from reaching the zenith of cricket, however, as he worked for his success. His inspiring, in-village-to-international-stadiums journey has made him one of Sri Lanka’s rising stars.
In this article will provide complete information about Eshan Malinga : Age, Height, Family, Career, Stats, IPL 2026, Net Worth & More.
Who is Eshan Malinga?
Eshan Malinga, Kiribathgala Kankanamalage Eshan Malinga Dharmasena was born in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. From a poor family, he found himself living with money problems every day. He had a passion for cricket from an early age and in his village played tennis-ball cricket with his friends most of his childhood.
Eshan didn’t start playing hardball cricket till the age of about 18, rather than a typical professional cricketer. Soon, his natural speed and talent in bowling caught the eye of coaches, who thought he is good enough to continue developing the art. He was given seizures with Sri Lanka A team and later the senior squad following impressive performances in domestic cricket.
| Aspect | Details |
| Full Name | Eshan Malinga Dharmasena |
| Nickname | Eshan Malinga |
| Profession | Professional Cricketer (Fast Bowler) |
| Date of Birth | 4 February 2001 |
| Age (2026) | 25 Years |
| Birthplace | Ratnapura, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Ethnicity | Sinhalese |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm Fast |
| IPL Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) |
Eshan Malinga Age (As of 2026)
Eshan Malinga was born in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka on 4 February 2001. As of 2026, he is 25 years old. His zodiac sign is Aquarius.
| Attribute | Value |
| Date of Birth | 4 February 2001 |
| Age | 25 Years (Source: Cricbuzz.com) |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
Eshan Malinga Physical Appearance, Fitness Lifestyle
Eshan Malinga has an athletic physique, fitting for a fast bowler. He is also famous for his smooth bowling action, quick run up and his pace generation. He has a disciplined fitness plan, which enables him to play consistently in long matches and under pressure. As a professional fast bowler, he emphasizes strength building, endurance, speed sessions, and recovery exercises. He also has a well-balanced diet that includes protein, vegetables, fruits and carbohydrates to keep him fit throughout the cricket season.
| Feature | Details |
| Height | Around 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) |
| Weight | Around 72 kg |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Playing Role | Fast Bowler |
Family Background
Eshan Malinga is from the middle class family in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. He had the help of his parents in making his dream of becoming a professional cricketer come true, even in the face of tough financial crisis. His father was a three wheeler driver who worked to support the family and his mother was always telling him to play cricket, even when it was hard.
Eshan was forced to leave the game of cricket due to injuries and financial issues and his mother encouraged him to take part in the national fast bowling trials. That was the turning point in his life and he had decided to change his career.
Early Life, Education & Rise
Eshan Malinga was born and raised in the city of Ratnapura, where his love for cricket was nurtured throughout his childhood. In his youth, mainly played tennis-ball cricket due to lack of facilities and equipment. His journey to international cricket is even more remarkable as he only started playing hard ball cricket at the age of 18.
He received his education from Sivali Central College, Ratnapura. While studying, he balanced his education with cricket practice. He suffered a terrible back injury early in his career, and missed about eighteen months of games. At this time, he even considered giving up cricket in order to support his family financially.
But it was a change that took place in his life following the national-level fast bowlers meet at Sri Lanka that drew selectors’ attention to his speed. Later on, he was transferred to Colombo for improved training opportunities where he worked hard to make his mark in domestic cricket. His performances caught the eye of Sri Lanka A, youth domestic teams and eventually Sri Lanka national team.
After some hard work and perseverance, he broke through to the Indian Premier League and is one of the thrilling youngsters for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Domestic Cricket & Lanka Premier League (LPL) Career
Eshan Malinga has already made a name for himself in Sri Lankan cricket before making an impact on the international scene. He has made his first-class debut for Ragama Cricket Club in 2022 and made immediate impact with his raw pace in a domestic scenario where spin and seam-up medium pacers are more in demand.
He was promoted to Sri Lanka A after making an impression in the Sri Lanka domestic first-class and List A cricket series, and he further honed his abilities by playing against top domestic players. More than any one thing it was his consistency that caught the national team selectors’ attention.
Malinga has also been a part of the Sri Lanka’s T20 franchise league Lanka Premier League (LPL), which has emerged as a vital platform for emerging pacers to experience fast-paced T20 cricket before entering the IPL. He has performed in the LPL to improve his profile and went on to be picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL auction.
Eshan Malinga Personal Life
Eshan Malinga has kept his private life very separate from his own cricketing career. Malinga isn’t like the majority of young players who are active on social media about their relationships, instead, he’s more of a social media fan behind the scenes of training, matches and cricket. There are no concrete public records that indicate his relationship status as of 2026 or his romantic life.
Eshan Malinga Professional Career Highlights
Eshan Malinga’s career has been steadily progressing due to his determination, hard work, and consistent performances. He did not begin playing the hard ball cricket until later than many players but he had the ability to impress the selectors with his pace, control and the manner with which he bowls under pressure.
His first club was Ragama Cricket Club, and he was recognised in Sri Lankan cricket with his performances. This was due to his regular wicket taking prowess which saw him play in Sri Lanka A and later for the senior Sri Lanka team.
In January 2025, Eshan made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Sri Lanka, playing against New Zealand. He also got his first taste of T20 International cricket later that year, and looked a promising young fast bowler.
His most prominent performance was in the Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad when he was bought in the auction. He had a good pace, yorkers, slower deliveries and kept his performances reasonable in the death-overs. He has become one of the emerging fast bowlers in the world of cricket due to his performances during the 2025 and 2026 IPL seasons.
Career Timeline
- 2022 – Made his debut at 1st class level with Ragama Cricket club.
- 2024 – Shined at home and in Sri Lanka A cricket.
- 2025 – debuted for Sri Lanka in ODI cricket.
- 2025 – Perched for maiden T20I for Sri Lanka.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) signed him.
- 2026 – Moved to the role of a regular SRH fast bowler.
Stats
| Format | Mat | Runs | Bat Avg | Wkts | Bowl Avg | Econ | Ct | RO |
| ODI | 8 | 15 | 5.0 | 4 | 55.8 | 6.03 | 2 | 1 |
| T20I | 11 | 5 | 5.0 | 9 | 34.7 | 9.22 | 3 | 0 |
| IPL | 22 | 7 | 7.0 | 33 | 22.6 | 9.20 | 8 | 4 |
| First-Class | 17 | 34 | 3.8 | 39 | 30.3 | 3.73 | 5 | 2 |
| List A | 22 | 40 | 8.0 | 25 | 34.7 | 6.22 | 3 | 1 |
| T20 | 60 | 36 | 7.2 | 79 | 22.97 | 8.87 | 17 | 5 |
Recent matches
| Match | Bat | Bowl | Ground | Format |
| Gallants vs Sixers | — | 1/35 | Dambulla | T20 |
| Gallants vs Kaps | — | 1/42 | Colombo (SSC) | T20 |
| Gallants vs Jaffna | — | 4/26 | Colombo (SSC) | T20 |
| Sri Lanka vs West Indies | 1* | 0/30 | Kingston | T20I |
| Sri Lanka vs West Indies | — | 0/41 | Kingston | T20I |
| Sri Lanka vs West Indies | 3* | 1/26 | Kingston | T20I |
| Sri Lanka vs West Indies | — | — | Kingston | ODI |
| SRH vs RR | 5 | 1/40 | New Chandigarh | T20 |
| SRH vs RCB | — | 2/33 | Hyderabad | T20 |
| SRH vs CSK | — | 1/26 | Chennai | T20 |
| SRH vs GT | 0* | 0/46 | Ahmedabad | T20 |
| SRH vs PBKS | — | 1/36 | — | T20 |
The stats Table and Recent Matches are updates on 23 July 2026 from Cricinfo.com
Interesting Facts About Eshan Malinga
- Eshan started playing Tennis-ball cricket only till around the age of 18 and then changed to hard-ball cricket.
- His father was a three-wheeler (tuk-tuk) driver and had indirectly helped him dream to play cricket even though faced with the financial hurdles.
- He registered around 141 km/h of speed which helped him win Sri Lanka Under-19 Fast Bowling competition.
- His appearance for Sunrisers Hyderabad has left a mark, making him one of the promising youngsters in the IPL.
Eshan Malinga Net Worth (As of 2026)
Eshan Malinga’s estimated net worth in 2026 is between ₹3.5 – ₹5.5 crore. He earns money through international cricket, franchise cricket, domestic cricket and sponsorship deals. He is now making a lot of money and is now a popular name in Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
| Category | Details |
| Estimated Net Worth | Around ₹3.5 – ₹5.5 crore |
| IPL Mega Auction (SRH) | ₹1.20 Crore |
| Main Income Source | Professional Cricket |
| Other Income | IPL Contract, Match Fees, Brand Endorsements |
Social Media Presence
Eshan Malinga has an active social media presence, providing updates on his career, training sessions, match highlights, and personal moments. His growing fan base is following him for their back-to-back updates and behind-the-scenes of the international cricket and the IPL.
Instagram- @malinga_97 — 78K+
Facebook- eshan.malinga.96 — 15K+
Conclusion
The path of a young Sri Lankan boy, Eshan Malinga, from a small rural village to international cricket is one that embodies determination, hard work and perseverance. Though he faced financial problems and injuries in his early days, he never lost his aspiration to become a professional cricketer. He has proven himself against some of the best in the world in Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Eshan has a lot of potential to emerge as one of Sri Lanka’s top fast bowlers in the near future, given his pace, discipline and dedication.
FAQs
Eshan Malinga is a Sri Lankan international fast bowler, who currently plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, and also represents Sri Lanka in international cricket.
He is 25 years old as of 2026.
There’s been public confusion about this — a few reports have described Eshan as Lasith Malinga’s nephew, but Eshan has denied any family relation on multiple occasions, stating the shared surname is coincidental.
He is playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team in the Indian Premier League.
As of 2026, his estimated net worth is around ₹3.5 – ₹5.5 crore.
