Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach, Lasith Malinga, had some kind words for the young Chennai Super Kings’ bowler, Matheesha Pathirana, despite his team’s loss. Pathirana did really well in the match against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Wankhede Stadium on April 14. He took 4 wickets for 28 runs in his four overs.
Pathirana played a big role in turning the game around for Chennai Super Kings. Mumbai Indians were going strong with 70 runs without losing any wickets in the eighth over, but Pathirana’s bowling changed the game. He got key wickets like Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav early on, and then broke a partnership by dismissing Tilak Varma. In the 18th over, he bowled a great delivery to get Romario Shepherd out, ending with his career-best figures in IPL history.
Extremely Impressed With Matheesha Pathirana – Lasith Malinga
Following the loss to the Super Kings, Lasith Malinga shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), praising Matheesha Pathirana for his improved bowling skills. Malinga highlighted how important Pathirana’s form is for Sri Lanka as they prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“Really impressed with @matheesha_81’s performance yesterday, even though it was against our team. He’s really stepped up his game in terms of control, line, and length. His form going into the World Cup will be crucial for Sri Lanka,” Malinga tweeted.
The 21-year-old couldn’t play in the last matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders because of an injury. But against MI, he came back strong and played a key role for CSK. They were defending a target of 206, and it was important. MI had chased down 197 runs at the same place in just 16 overs recently, so it was a tough challenge.
Matheesha Pathirana Is Out Baby Lasith Malings – Ruturaj Gaikwad
During the presentation, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad shared a special nickname that Matheesha Pathirana got from his teammates. He praised the bowlers, especially talking about Pathirana’s accurate yorkers and the good work done by Tushar Deshpande and Shardul Thakur.
Gaikwad said, “Venues like this need players to step up in both batting and bowling. Our Malinga bowled really well and nailed those yorkers. Tushar [Deshpande] and Shardul [Thakur] also did a good job with the ball. We always stress on having the right mindset. Ajinkya Rahane wasn’t fit, so we decided to have him open the innings. Yeah, we call Pathirana our baby Malinga, and he’s living up to that.”
With his recent performance, Matheesha Pathirana has moved up to eighth place in the rankings, taking eight wickets in three innings at a remarkable strike rate of 8.25. He now has a total of 29 wickets from 17 IPL matches, averaging 17.62 with an impressive economy rate of 7.84.