IPL 2025: Is SRH's Eshan Malinga Related To Lasith Malinga?

Abhinav Tyagi

Eshan Malinga - (SLCrickeet/X.com)Eshan Malinga - (SLCrickeet/X.com)

The much-awaited two-day mega auction came to a close on Monday night, and all ten franchises are ready with their squad for IPL 2025. Several players hogged the internet, and one such star was Sri Lanka's Eshan Malinga.

As soon as a cricket fan hears the word Malinga, it takes them back to the glorious days of Sri Lankan cricket, where a curly-haired right-arm seamer, Lasith Malinga, used to instil fear in the opposition with his slingy action and toe-crushing yorkers. 

Notably, Malinga will go down in history as one of the best bowlers in IPL history and also remained the leading wicket-taker in the cash-studded league for the longest time.

Similarly, when Eshan Malinga came to the auction table, he went to SRH for 1.20 crores and hogged the internet as the fans wanted to know more about him and whether he is related to Lasith Malinga. 

Is Eshan Malinga Related To Lasith Malinga?

Indeed Eshan is related to Lasith. He comes from a lineage of cricketers; Lasith Malinga, who is an acclaimed Sri Lankan pace bowler, happens to be his uncle. 

However, he does not support curly hair, and neither follows a slingy action like Malinga, which several Sri Lankan stars such as Matheesa Pathirana and Nuwan Thusara went on to do. 

Who Is Eshan Malinga?

Born on February 4, 2001, Malinga rose to fame for his stint with Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). 

In 14 first-class matches, he has taken 28 wickets at a rate of 32.32, while his best performance was 6/67. His best figure of 5/49 is accompanied by 12 wickets at an expense of 24.16 in 7 matches in List A. In T20s, he has seven wickets in 8 games. 

It will be Eshan's first IPL season and he was so far earning 60 lakhs with Jaffna Kings and his net worth has now doubled after signing with SRH. He is yet to play for Sri Lanka.