'He’s Always With me': CSK Captain MS Dhoni's Message to Matheesha Pathirana's Sister

Chennai Super Kings young pacer Matheesha Pathirana has emerged as one of the key players for the franchise in this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

Pathirana, thanks to his accurate line and length and pinpoint yorkers, has quite reliable in death overs for the four-time IPL champions.

The pacer has claimed 17 wickets in `11 matches so far.

Having first caught the attention thanks to an uncanny resemblance of his bowling action with the legendary Lasith Malinga, Pathirana has evolved under Chennai skipper MS Dhoni

The two-time World Cup-winning captain recently met Pathirana’s family in Chennai, following their side’s win in the first Qualifier against Gujarat Titans.

The Chennai-based franchise tweeted a photo of their meet. “You have nothing to worry about Matheesha, he’s always with me’ Under the flourishing C/o Thala,” the tweet read.

Pathirana’s sister Vishuka also shared a heartwarming post on Instagram from the meet. Vishuka uploaded a photo of her along with Dhoni.

“Now we are sure that malli is in safe hands when Thala said ‘You have nothing to worry about Matheesha, he’s always with me.’ These moments were even beyond what I had ever dreamt of,” the caption read.

Pathirana made his IPL debut in 2022 but the Sri Lanka international could only manage to feature in two matches last season.

The IPL 2023 season has proved to be quite impressive for the 20-year-old.

He is the third-highest wicket-taker of CSK in this season’s IPL.

In international cricket, he has represented Sri Lanka once having made international debut against Afghanistan during a T20I match in August last year.

In his last assignment, Pathirana scripted figures of 2/28.

Batting first, the Dhoni-led side secured a total of 172 in the first Qualifier against GT. In response, Gujarat were bowled out for 157.

In the IPL final, CSK will face the winner of the second qualifier which is to be played between GT and Mumbai Indians.