Nuwan Thushara

With the ability to gain early swing through a low and slingy action that's very similar to Lasith Malinga's, Nuwan Thushara has found some success in T20s, for Sri Lanka and across the franchise circuit.

He first made his mark in the Lanka Premier League, taking 12 wickets at an economy of 8.11 in the 2021 season for Galle Gladiators, although five of those wickets came in one match, against Jaffna Kings. In the next season, he took 14 wickets at an improved economy of 7.44. He made his international debut in the same year, but the big breakthrough came in March 2024, when he took a hat-trick and finished with 5 for 20 against Bangladesh. He followed that with eight wickets at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Thushara, who has been mentored by Malinga at Mumbai Indians, has a deceptive slower ball, an accurate yorker, can swing the ball both ways, and has the ability to surprise even set batters. After a difficult period in 2026, during which he tussled with the Sri Lanka board for not giving him an NOC to play in the IPL because he failed a fitness test, Thushara returned strongly in the LPL, taking 14 wickets for Kandy Royals at an economy of 8.9.