The yorker wins matches. That simple truth has not changed since T20 cricket began. A good yorker lands at the base of the stumps, where batsmen cannot swing their bat. Bowl it right and you either hit the stumps or force a dot ball.
Death overs decide T20 games. Over 16 to 20 separate good teams from great ones. Any bowler who can land six yorkers in an over becomes valuable. The skill takes years to develop. You need control and the ability to bowl under pressure when batsmen are trying to hit you out of the ground. Five bowlers in 2025 stand out for their yorker accuracy. They bowl this delivery better than anyone else playing international cricket right now.
List of Top 5 Yorker Kings in Cricket
Here are the five best yorker bowlers right now based on death over performance and consistency:
| Bowler | Country | Intl Wickets | IPL Wickets | Death Economy | Speed (km/h) |
| Jasprit Bumrah | India | 443 | 165 | 6.8 | 145 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Sri Lanka | 44 | 34 | 9.44 | 148 |
| Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan | 343 | 0 | 7.2 | 144 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 705 | 51 | 8.1 | 147 |
| T Natarajan | India | 13 | 67 | 8.5 | 140 |
1. Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Bumrah bowls the best yorkers in cricket right now. His weird action makes picking his length almost impossible. Batsmen cannot read where the ball will land until it is too late.
He has 443 international wickets and 165 IPL wickets for the Mumbai Indians, earning several Man of the Match awards in pressure games. His death over economy of 6.8 in T20s is the best among active bowlers. That number means something when you consider how many batsmen score these days.
Bumrah can bowl six different yorkers in one over. Each has slight changes in line or pace. His yorker to MS Dhoni in IPL 2017 got replayed a thousand times. The one that got Jos Buttler in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final was unplayable.
He bowls around 145 km/h most of the time and pushes to 150 when needed. Injury kept him out of the Champions Trophy 2025. When fit, Bumrah is the first name on India’s team sheet for death overs.
2. Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka)
Pathirana copied Lasith Malinga’s action, and now bowls like him too. People called him Baby Malinga when he started. At 22 years old, he has already shown he can handle pressure in big matches.
He has 44 international wickets and 34 IPL wickets for Chennai Super Kings. His death economy of 9.44 is still developing, but looks good for someone his age. The number will improve as he gains experience.
Pathirana bowls at 148 km/h with that sling action that batsmen hate. They struggle to see his release point. That makes his yorkers harder to pick up. His six yorker spell against the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 went all over social media.
Unlike Bumrah, who focuses on precision, Pathirana adds raw pace and awkward bounce to his yorkers. He swings the ball late into right-handers. That combination will only get better as he plays more international cricket.
Suggested read: 5-Six Show: IPL Batsmen Who Blasted Five in an Over
3. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)
Afridi bowls left arm, which gives his yorkers a different angle. Right-handed batsmen find his inswinging yorkers particularly nasty. He can swing the new ball and then bowl yorkers at the death. That makes him complete.
He has 343 international wickets across formats. His death economy of 7.2 in T20s shows he delivers when matches are close. Afridi bowls at 144 km/h and goes up to 147 when he needs wickets.
His spell against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup introduced him to the world. Three wickets in the powerplay, including two yorkers that cleaned up Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. He did it again in the 2022 Asia Cup.
The late inswing at pace is what makes his yorkers special. Right-handers get cramped for room as the ball tails in sharply at their toes. His yorker to Alex Carey in the 2023 World Cup was one of the best deliveries that year.
4. Mitchell Starc (Australia)
Starc built his reputation on yorkers in the World Cup finals. The left-arm Australian uses his height to generate a steep bounce even when bowling yorkers. That makes them harder to dig out.
He has 705 international wickets, which puts him among the best fast bowlers ever. His death economy of 8.1 shows he can bowl at the death, though not quite matching specialists like Bumrah. Starc has 51 IPL wickets across 41 games.
His yorker to Brendon McCullum in the 2015 World Cup final set the tone for Australia’s win. He did it again in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where his opening yorkers put teams under pressure immediately. Starc bowls at 147 km/h and touches 150 regularly.
The swing he gets on yorkers at extreme pace is what separates him. Left-handers particularly struggle because the ball comes in and then straightens off the seam. His wide yorker outside off stump forces batsmen to reach and often produces edges.
An injury ruled him out of the Champions Trophy 2025. Australia needs him fit for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
5. T Natarajan (India)
Natarajan has only 7 international matches, but his IPL work makes him worth watching. The left-arm pacer from Tamil Nadu became Sunrisers Hyderabad’s death bowler purely because of his yorker accuracy.
He has just 13 international wickets but 67 IPL wickets across 61 games. His death economy of 8.5 ranks among the best for bowlers who regularly bowl overs 16 to 20. That phase is when teams need 12 to 15 runs per over.
IPL 2020 made his reputation. The same season that shaped many young players like Riyan Parag. He nailed yorkers in pressure situations, match after match. That got him on India’s tour of Australia, where he impressed in limited chances. Natarajan bowls around 140 km/h. Not express pace, but his accuracy covers for the slower speed.
The consistency is what works. Other bowlers might nail three yorkers in an over. Natarajan can bowl six consecutive yorkers without missing his spot. His yorker to AB de Villiers in IPL 2020 became an instant classic among death over deliveries.
Indian selectors have not picked him much despite IPL success. His yorker skill makes him valuable for T20 leagues worldwide.
What Makes a Yorker Work
A yorker lands where the bat meets the ground at the base of the stumps. Batsmen get no room to swing. The best yorkers either knock the stumps over or produce dot balls.
Speed matters. A 145 km/h yorker gives less reaction time than a 130 km/h one. Some bowlers add swing or seam movement. Others use slower yorkers to catch batsmen off guard. Even small mistakes turn a yorker into a low full toss that goes for six. That risk is why good yorker bowlers get paid big money in T20 leagues.
Why Yorkers Win Matches
Yorkers remove scoring options. In death overs where teams need 12 to 15 runs per over, even two dot balls create huge pressure. A yorker forces batsmen to block instead of hitting sixes.
Batsmen now practice ramp shots and scoops to counter yorkers. Despite these tricks, a yorker at 145 km/h remains the hardest delivery to score from. Stats show yorkers have the lowest run rate among all deliveries bowled in overs 16 to 20.
The mental side matters too. When a bowler lands three yorkers in a row, batsmen start backing away or charging down the pitch. That often leads to mistimed shots or wickets. Captains trust yorker specialists because they can defend totals through controlled bowling.
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