Chennai Super Kings’ Death-Bowling Woes Mount as Matheesha Pathirana Returns Home with Hamstring Injury
Chennai Super Kings have been dealt a major blow with the news that their death-bowling specialist, Matheesha Pathirana, has returned to Sri Lanka to recover from a hamstring injury. The Sri Lankan pacer has been a key cog in CSK’s bowling attack, and his absence will be a significant setback for the team.
Pathirana missed CSK’s home fixture against Punjab Kings in Chennai and was also ruled out of the reverse fixture in Dharamsala on Sunday. His absence further depletes CSK’s bowling resources, which were already stretched thin due to the absence of Deepak Chahar, their powerplay specialist.
Chahar, who has been struggling with a quadriceps injury, did not travel to Dharamsala and is awaiting the results of his scan reports in Chennai. His absence has left CSK without two of their most experienced and reliable bowlers.
Pathirana, who made his IPL debut for CSK in 2024, has played only six games for the franchise, but he has made a significant impact with his ability to bowl at high speeds and generate swing. In those six games, he has taken 13 wickets with an impressive economy rate of 7.68.
His absence will put additional pressure on CSK’s other bowlers, including Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, and Dwayne Bravo. The team will need to find a way to compensate for the loss of Pathirana’s death-bowling prowess if they want to maintain their position in the top four of the IPL standings.
