Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana has been in high demand ever since his release by the Chennai Super Kings. According to the latest reports, the unconventional pacer had a new bidder a week after his release by the Super Kings.
Chennai Super Kings had one of their worst seasons in IPL history as they finished last in the IPL 2025 points table. So the CSK management is said to have talked about releasing most of their old players and bringing in new faces during the mini-auction to improve their chances.
They not only let go of veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja but also parted ways with Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana. The pacer joined CSK and was trained and gradually became an expert pacer under the supervision and guidance of MS Dhoni.
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Matheesha Pathirana gets new franchise a week after leaving CSK
Pathirana parted ways with his former franchise and was included in the player pool for the mini-auction scheduled for December 16. As per the latest reports suggested by Rohit Juglan, Punjab Kings have emerged as the favorites in the mega-auction.
He further reported that before Pathirana was released by CSK, a total of three different franchises had offered to avail his services. They had Rajasthan Royals, who made the trade offer; they had LSG, and finally, they had the previous season’s runners-up, Punjab Kings.
As Punjab Kings needed a death seamer, Pathirana would be a good choice; however, a swap between Marcus Stoinis and Matheesha Pathirana has been proposed, while Juglan mentions that he does not know which party initiated the offer.
KKR could also be looking for a leader abroad
Alongside Punjab Kings, another franchise that is in desperate need of a lethal bowler and especially has room for a foreign seamer in the XI, is Kolkata Knight Riders.
They released many big-budget actors, like Anrich Nortje, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock and Andre Russell, to boost their purses ahead of the mini-auction. Therefore, KKR not only need someone like Pathirana, but they can also afford him against Punjab Kings.
Punjab Kings are expected to bring in a lot of players as they need to rebuild their middle order after releasing Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell. For now, these two franchises remain the favorites of the CSK star.
Matheesha Pathirana IPL Stats
After making his IPL debut in 2022, he played four seasons for Chennai Super Kings. Matheesha Pathirana was CSK’s go-to man for a wicket in the death over in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Playing only 2 matches in his first season for CSK, he rose to prominence due to his unorthodox bowling style, round-arm action, high release and yorkers, which improved with time.
Hailing from the land of Lasith Malinga, the pacer has picked 47 wickets in 32 IPL matches and has a good average of 21.62 in his career. With a slightly higher economy he has raw pace and when fit his accuracy makes him unplayable.
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