Cricket’s sling-arm gang is suddenly up and making a big impact on this second IPL. If Azamgarh boy Kamran Khan helped Rajasthan beat Kolkata the other night, Fidel Edwards and Lasith Malinga were involved in a one-on-one battle at the Kingsmead on Saturday.

In a format that celebrates unorthodox shots such as scoops, reverse hits and wild heaves, the different angles of release produced by their slinging actions is giving bowlers an opportunity to have a say as well.

“The angle I create is very different. The batsmen cannot get used to it quickly,” says Edwards, who picked two wickets for 27 in Hyderabad’s win over Mumbai on Saturday. “From time to time, the arm goes faster to bring in more pace, and in South Africa the ball swings a lot more.”

Malinga says the slinging action continues to surprise batsmen. “Though I’ve been around for a while, my action still makes batsmen uncomfortable. They still find it tough to pick my yorker.”

After Rajasthan’s warm-up matches, Shane Warne had announced that Kamran would be the ‘next big thing’. The 18-year-old has so far lived up to the hype, adding to the aura created by Malinga and Edwards in this format. “It does make a difference facing sling-arm bowlers because they are different from the norm. They are generally strike bowlers and one has to take extra care against them,” says Tendulkar.

Adam Gilchrist adds: “The kind of yorkers that Malinga can bowl, he is bound to get wickets. Bowlers with sling-arm actions are generally very accurate and bring in a lot of energy into the side.”