Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had posted just 133 on the board against the Gujarat Titans in a dry and humid afternoon at the Wankhede Stadium in the previous edition of the IPL (Indian Premier League).
In response, Shubman Gill and Wridhhiman Saha had got off to a flyer and were cruising at 58 for no loss at the end of seven overs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had to think out of the box and he turned to a certain lanky medium pacer, named Matheesa Pathirana. He ended up taking two wickets to make things interesting though he could not prevent Titans winning the game.
Almost a year later, Dhoni once again turned to Pathirana at a crucial juncture in CSK's game against RCB. And the Sri Lankan did not disappoint. RCB needed 35 off the last 3 overs when Pathirana was given the ball. He ended up giving away just 4 runs and took the wicket of Shahbaz Ahmed. He then had 20 to defend in the final over against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday evening and he produced the goods to steer CSK to a memorable eight-run victory at the Chinnaswamy.
But who is this hidden gem from the island country whose sling arm action closely resembles that of the legendary Lasith Malinga? TSN takes a look.
Who is Matheesa Pathirana?
Pathirana was born on December 18, 2002, in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
He was yet to play first-class cricket when he made his IPL debut in 2022 against GT but was part of Sri Lanka's squad for the ICC U19 World Cup in 2020.
In 2021, he started playing in the SLC Invitational T20 League and subsequently was named in the 2022 ICC U-19 World Cup in West Indies.
He was impressive in the ICC tournament and ended up with seven wickets in four games at an economy of 6.16.
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What is Matheesa Pathirana's bowling style?
Pathirana has a sling arm action which is similar to that of Malinga. Like his predecessor, he can bowl toe-crunching yorkers and is a potent weapon in the death overs.
He came into the spotlight for allegedly bowling at 175 kmph to India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, during the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2020 in South Africa. However, it was later revealed that the figure was misquoted due to a glitch in the system.
When did Pathirana make his IPL debut?
Pathirana had registered himself at the IPL auction in 2022 but found no takers. Fortunately for him, Adam Milne got injured soon after his IPL debut for CSK and the Yellow Army got Pathirana as his replacement.
Pathirana made his IPL debut against Gujrat Titans on May 15, 2022.
How did Pathirana perform in his IPL debut?
Wearing no. 99 at the back, with a Lasith Malinga-esque bowling action, slinger Pathirana charged in to bowl his first delivery in IPL in the eighth over of CSK's game against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022. And BOOM!
Beaten by pace, Gill took a tad bit of time to bring his bat down for the flick and the ball had gone through his defence and struck his pads. The finger went up and even a review couldn't save Gill.
With his very first ball in the IPL, he got the wicket of Gill, the crown prince of Indian cricket!
He came back for his second spell in the 13th over, and this time he dismissed Titans captain Hardik Pandya. Another wicket off the first ball of his over. An off-cutter tricked Pandya and he ended up getting a thick edge to mid-off.
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What MS Dhoni said about Pathirana?
After Pathirana, got the wickets of Gill and Pandya, Dhoni backed him to be one of the future superstars in the IPL.
“He is an excellent death bowler. Also, with his action, it is slightly difficult to pick. He has got that slower one also. So you have to watch him very carefully. Which means when you spend those extra seconds watching the ball and he is bowling at a decent pace, it becomes quite difficult to consistently hit him," the CSK skipper stated back in 2022.
How did Pathirana perform against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2023?
Pathirana was given the ball for the first time in the eighth over. however, he was ripped apart by Glenn Maxwell and he conceded 12 runs. The onslaught continued and he was hit for 16 in his second which forced Dhoni to take him off.
However, he came back strongly in the death overs.
The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the aces in the CSK armoury who has got nerves of steel. Under the able guidance of Dwayne Bravo and Dhoni himself he has the potential to establish himself as the worthy successor to Malinga!
What are Matheesha Pathirana's IPL numbers?
| Year | Matches | Balls | Runs Conceded | Wickets | Strike Rate | Economy | Best Figures |
| 2022 | 2 | 41 | 52 | 2 | 20.50 | 7.61 | 2/24 |
| 2023 | 11 | 254 | 327 | 17 | 14.94 | 7.72 | 3/15 |
