In a significant setback to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) their key fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana will be absent for their crucial IPL 2025 encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 28. The high-profile IPL 2025 showdown between CSK and RCB is set to be held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 28.
CSK and their fans face another setback as Matheesha Pathirana is set to miss yet another game this season. The Sri Lankan speedster was previously unavailable for CSK’s opening IPL 2025 match against Mumbai Indians (MI).
As the much-anticipated CSK vs RCB clash in Chennai approaches, head coach Stephen Fleming has now officially spoken regarding Matheesha Pathirana’s status. He assured that the Sri Lankan right-arm pacer will not feature in the upcoming match as he recovers from an injury. While confirming the absence of Pathirana, however, Fleming did not make any explicit statement regarding the cause of the injury or the severity of the discomfort the young pacer is enduring.
“Pathirana is recovering from injury: Stephen Fleming. So don’t expect him to play tomorrow,”CSK head coach Stephen Fleming stated, as quoted by The Indian Express.
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Since his IPL debut in 2022 against the Gujarat Titans Matheesha Pathirana has become an important member of the CSK squad. Pathirana made a strong first impression in that match although CSK did not win it with bowling figures of 2 for 24. The Sri Lankan pacer made his mark in the IPL 2023 season where he played a key role in CSK’s title-winning campaign and took 19 wickets in just 12 matches.
Pathirana carried his outstanding form into IPL 2024, picking up 13 wickets in just six games before a hamstring injury cut his campaign short. That setback occurred during a series against Bangladesh in March of last year, ruling him out for the remainder of the IPL season with CSK.
Across his three IPL seasons so far, Pathirana has featured in 20 games, taking a combined 34 wickets at an economy rate of 7.68. His best performance was in IPL 2024 against the Mumbai Indians, where he took his best figures of 4 wickets for 28 runs. However, much to the disappointment of CSK fans, he is yet to step onto the field in the yellow jersey this season due to his ongoing injury.
Both CSK and RCB have launched their IPL 2025 campaigns with victories, setting the stage for a thrilling and high-stakes clash in Chennai. RCB enter this contest after a commanding win over Kolkata Knight Riders, while CSK also began strongly by crushing Mumbai Indians in their season opener.
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