Umran Malik has impressed the cricket world with his magical pace bowling. He has become a prominent figure in the world of cricket thanks to his passion and dedication. Coming from an economically weaker background, Malik has impressed on the biggest stage which is a testament to his willingness to succeed.
Malik is currently the fastest bowler from India. In an IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals on May 5, 2022, one of his balls was clocked at 157 km/hr.
The young speedster features three times in the top 5 list of fastest balls bowled by an Indian bowler.
| Bowler | Fastest ball | Against | Year |
| Umran Malik | 157kph | Delhi | 2022 |
| Mayank Yadav | 156.7kph | Bengaluru | 2024 |
| Umran Malik | 156kph | Delhi | 2022 |
| Umran Malik | 156kph | Sri Lanka | 2023 |
| Mayank Yadav | 155.8kph | Punjab | 2024 |
Early Career
Born in the Gujjar Nagar locality in the city of Jammu, Malik burst onto the scene on his state T20 debut against Railways on 18 January 2021 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He picked up 3 wickets in his allotted 4 overs conceding only 24 runs in the process. He then became a regular player in all formats of the state team. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2021 against Puducherry and finished with figures of 3-89.
IPL Career
In April 2021, Malik was selected as one of three net bowlers for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2021. When SRH pace bowler T Natarajan contracted the COVID-19 virus, Malik was promoted to the starting XI and debuted against Kolkata Knight Riders. In a match against RCB in the same season, he introduced himself to the world audience by bowling 5 consecutive balls above 150km/h.
IPL 2022 proved to be a breakout season for Malik. He took a 5-wicket haul against Gujrat Titans. He bowled the fastest ball by an Indian in the IPL clocking 157 km/h against Delhi Capitals. In 14 matches, Malik took 22 wickets which earned him the Emerging Player of the Tournament Award.
Malik’s performance took a downward spiral in the 2023 season. The speedster leaked runs and managed to take only 5 wickets for SRH.
International Career
Umran Malik was one of India’s net bowlers at the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021. In the same year, he made his debut for India A against South Africa A.
Malik was named in the Indian squad for the T20 series against South Africa in 2022, however, he failed to make it into the starting XI.
He made his India debut against Ireland on 26 June 2022 in a T20 series but failed to impress conceding 0/14 in his 1 over. In the second match of the same series, he conceded 1/42 in 4 overs.
His ODI debut came against New Zealand in November 2022 and finished with the figures of 2/66 in 10 overs.
Despite struggling in the early stages of his international career, Malik has the potential to find his place back into the national side. He is still a work in progress and needs major improvements to his game but with the right mindset, Malik can light up the big stage with redoubtable talent and pace bowling.
Read More: Abid Nabi: The Kashmir Fast Bowler Who Broke Barriers
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
