'Our Malinga': MS Dhoni heaps praise on Matheesha Pathirana, says he will contribute for CSK in a big way
CSK strike bowler Matheesha Pathirana returns to Sri Lanka
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni heaped praise on Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana after his impressive show for the franchise in his debut season. Pathirana was roped in by CSK as a replacement for injured Adam Milne midway through the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 and has since managed to play two matches for the franchise.
Dubbed as the 'Baby Malinga' for his slingy action which resembles former Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, Pathirana got off to a dream start in his IPL career. He picked up a wicket off the very first ball he bowled for CSK in their clash against Gujarat Titans. The Sri Lankan youngster dismissed GT skipper Hardik Pandya on the very first ball of his first over.
He picked up two wickets while conceding 24 runs in 3.1 overs against Gujarat Titans and also featured in CSK's final game of the season against Rajasthan Royals on Friday (May 20). Though he went wicketless, Pathirana was lauded by Dhoni, who believes he is going to have a bright future for CSK in the IPL.
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"Our Malinga (Pathirana) is really good. It is difficult to pick him and he'll only definitely contribute next year...in a big way," said Dhoni speaking about Pathirana after his side's loss against Rajasthan Royals on Friday.
Talking about the game, CSK won the toss and opted to bat first against the Royals at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. They got off to a shaky start losing opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (2) cheaply before losing Devon Conway (16) early as well. However, Moeen Ali's brilliant 93 off 57 balls helped them put up 150 runs on the board in 20 overs as other batters failed to deliver.
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RR chased down the target comfortably with two balls to spare riding comfortably on crucial knocks from Yashasvi Jaiswal (59) and R Ashwin (40). With the win, RR moved to the second spot on the points table while CSK, who are already out of the playoffs are at the 9th spot on the table.