Lasith Malinga had an outstanding IPL career. In nine seasons, the Sri Lankan bowler took 170 wickets in 122 matches. In the cash-rich league, he had an excellent average of 19.85 and a phenomenal economy rate of 7.16.
He was outstanding in the death overs and made a significant contribution to the success of his franchise, the Mumbai Indians (MI), winning four titles with the club in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
Matheesha Pathirana, a Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer, was inspired by his bowling action after his legendary country mate. His low-slinging bowling action is tough for batters to pick up, and he has seen success in his limited IPL tenure.
Pathirana has nine wickets at an average of 27.22 and a strike rate of 20.11 in eight matches this season. His economy rate of 8.12 is slightly greater, but it is expected to decrease with time, and Pathirana will have good control over his line and length as he gains more expertise.
On that point, here are three Lasith Malinga records that Matheesha Pathirana has the potential to break in the IPL.
1) Most IPL wickets by a Sri Lankan pacer
Matheesha Pathirana is off to a strong start in the Indian Premier League. In the 2022 edition, he appeared in just two matches and took two wickets. Pathirana, on the other hand, has grown and developed as a bowler this year. In 2023, he took seven wickets, including those of Andrew Russell, Nicholas Pooran, Sam Curran, Heinrich Klaasen, and others.
He is fast and can be deceiving with his pace, and he is frequently entrusted with bowling the vital death overs. Pathirana, who is only 20 years old, has shown great maturity with the ball. Pathirana would most likely beat the record for most IPL wickets by a Sri Lankan bowler if he plays as many seasons as Lasith Malinga.
2) Taking a hat-trick in IPL cricket
Lasith Malinga has three hat-tricks in international cricket, one in ODI and two in T20i. Despite playing 122 IPL matches, the Lankan bowler has yet to score a hat-trick.
Pathirana took his first IPL wicket on the first ball he delivered and has made significant progress in junior cricket. His slinging action frequently makes it tough for batters to pick him up at the speed he generates.
Pathirana is anticipated to become more dangerous with time and experience, and he could get an IPL hat-trick, a feat that Malinga has yet to do in his long and successful career.
3) Getting batsmen clean bowled
Lasith Malinga has clean-bowled 63 batters in his 170 IPL wickets. As a result, Malinga has an amazing 37.1% bowled dismissal rate.
Matheesha Pathirana has a similar bowling action to Malinga and has only bowled one batter thus far. Pathirana, on the other hand, is expected to dismiss more batters by castling their stumps because to his slinging motion and ability to deliver yorkers at a high rate.
