Right before the first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore to be played tomorrow, CSK has been dealt a major blow as Matheesha Pathirana has been ruled out of the initial stages of IPL due to an injury.
Pathirana was retained by Chennai Super Kings franchise for this season after impressive performances with the ball during IPL 2023. He was handed the charge of the death overs and did not allow batters to score runs easily.
Pathirana sustained during the 2nd T20I match against Bangladesh at Sylhet earlier this month and did not finish his spell. He missed the 3rd match of the series and underwent rehabilitation with a Sri Lankan physio. Pathirana will join the CSK squad once given clearance from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board.
Chennai Super Kings suffered a huge blow as Devon Conway has been ruled out due to an injury that he suffered during the 2nd T20I match against Australia. His absence could open doors for Musfitzur Rahman who was named as backup for Pathirana. Rahman was stretched off the field due to cramps and had to be carried off during the 3rd ODI match against Sri Lanka on March 18th.
He has recovered to join the CSK squad and will be available for selection against Royal Challengers Bangalore tomorrow.
“Death bowling is my specialty. I believe that in T20s, [death overs] is a very important segment of the game,” Bravo said at an event in Chennai last week. “It requires a lot of skill, bravery, and planning – from preparation in practice to the games, match awareness and situations.”
Chennai Super Kings won the 2023 edition of IPL to become the champions for levelling equal fifth time. They would start against RCB on the 22nd at Chennai and then face Gujarat Titans at home on the 26th of March. After this, they would travel for two away matches.
Matheesha Pathirana performance in IPL 2023
Pathirana played just 2 matches in the 2022 edition of IPL. The Sri Lankan star, Pathirana had a dream season under the captaincy of MS Dhoni in 2023. He bowled with great control in death overs not allowing the batters to score runs easily.
He grabbed a total of 19 wickets from 12 matches (12 innings) at an economy of 8.01 runs per over including best figures of 3 for 15. Chennai Super Kings will miss his services in the initial stages of IPL.
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