Matheesha Pathirana was the shining star for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He took four wickets and gave away only twenty-eight runs. His excellent bowling helped CSK win against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on April 14.
To prevent their third consecutive loss away from home, CSK needed to defend 207 runs in a location known for chasing. MI openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma put on their third fifty-run partnership, scoring 63 runs in the powerplay to keep them in contention.
Matheesha Pathirana was thrown into the attack in the ninth over and dismissed Ishan Kishan with his first ball. He struck again in his opening over, taking Suryakumar Yadav’s wicket with a superb catch by Mustafizur Rahman at deep third man.
CSK had choked MI in the middle overs, and the needed rate for MI was progressively increasing. Tilak Varma and Rohit Sharma were anxious for boundaries, so Gaikwad called Matheesha Pathirana back into the assault. The strategy succeeded, as the Sri Lankan speedster dismissed Tilak Varma in the 14th over.
Matheesha Pathirana then managed to dislodge the stumps after Romario Shepherd missed the dig, which proved to be the last nail in the coffin. The right-arm pacer gave a few boundaries in the penultimate over, but the damage had already been done.
Fans praised Matheesha Pathirana for his superb bowling performance. Here are some reactions on Twitter:
“Retain Pathirana at any cost,” one fan wrote
“Easily the greatest spell ever in an IPL game,” another fan opined while explaining why so
“MS Dhoni, gift your farmhouse to Pathirana,” one fan remarked
“I don’t think too much about results, just concerned with my execution” – Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana missed the first match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He also did not play in the recent games against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. However, in the few chances he got, Pathirana made a big impact.
With eight wickets in three games, he has helped his team turn things around.
“When we were bowling in the powerplay, I was a bit nervous. Dhoni bhai came and told me to keep it calm. I don’t think about the result, I think only about execution. I will get my results if I execute well. Sometimes I have to change it (bowling yorkers). I’ve done it in the past. I struggled with a niggle for the past two weeks. The support staff, coaching staff, and seniors have all supported me through this period.”
Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana was named player of the match for his performance. CSK will next face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Stadium on Friday, April 19.