Chennai Super Kings recruited Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana to replace Adam Milne for the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2022 season, according to IPL.
On March 26, CSK's first match against the Kolkata Knight Riders was cut short when Adam Milne suffered a hamstring injury and was forced to leave the field. The match took place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. His performance deteriorated further, with figures of 0/19 in the last 2.3.
Additionally, the Chennai Super Kings were dealt a similar blow when Deepak Chahar, the team's star, was formally ruled out of the competition due to injury last week. On the other hand, the franchise has not yet confirmed who would take over for the bowler in question.
CSK, the four-time IPL champion, have had a disappointing start to the season, winning only two of their first seven games. They suffered four consecutive losses until defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore, their first win under new skipper Ravindra Jadeja, and then against Mumbai Indians by 23 runs and three wickets, respectively.
With only two victories in seven games, CSK are now ranked in ninth place in the IPL 2022 standings, with a total of four points and an NRR of -0.534, one spot ahead of the MI, who have yet to win a game this season. CSK will next face Punjab Kings on Monday, April 25.
At the end of seven games of the IPL, the Rajasthan Royals have accumulated a total of 10 points to their credit. The Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the Lucknow Super Giants are currently in fourth place and are the other top three teams in the league.
Pathirana holds promising career
Pathirana, a young Sri Lankan cricketer from the next generation, has a promising future ahead of him. The 19-year-old has represented his country on two occasions, both in U-19 2020 and U-19 2022 World Cup. He was known for his bowling action and can make a toe-crushing Yorkers. While representing Sri Lanka at the U19 World Cup in 2022, he gained popularity for having a bowling action similar to that of Lasith Malinga's. He took seven wickets in four matches during that season, averaging 27.28 with an economy rate of 6.16.
Until now, Pathirana has only taken part in one A-league match. He scored 0/41 in the Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament in 2021 for Nondescripts Cricket Club when he faced Negombo Cricket Club. In the meantime, he has two victories from two Twenty20 cups at 16.50. Pathirana recorded 2/28 against SLC Reds in the SLC Invitational Twenty20 League in 2021 as a member of SLC Greys.
As a result of his signing with CSK for INR 20 Lakh, he will become the sixth Sri Lankan player to take part in the IPL 2022. Pathirana is no stranger to Chennai Super Kings, having joined the team as a reserve player during the 2021 season. In his career, he has also faced Maheesh Theekshana, his CSK colleague and countryman, in the Twenty20s. He has appeared in one List A game and two Twenty20 matches at the senior cricket level.
Given the absence of Milne and Chahar, Pathirana may be a key asset for the CSK in the remaining season.
