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Follow UsIn 2021, Matheesha Pathirana was still busy playing school tournaments and a few league tournaments in Bangladesh.
He represented Sri Lanka in the 2020 U19 World Cup but with not much success. From there to becoming the designated death bowler of one of the most successful franchises in the world’s best T20 league - it’s been some journey.
After making his IPL debut in 2022, the unconventionality of his action caught everyone’s eye. MS Dhoni, himself, liked what he saw of him.
For the last decade or so, it was Dwayne Bravo handling the death overs phase for the Super Kings. And post his retirement, the lack of a potent option was going to hurt them.
What made Bravo so dangerous in the latter half of the innings was his ability to bowl yorkers and, without any discernible change in his action, slower ones. His retirement forced CSK to look at someone to fill his shoes. And that wasn’t going to be easy.
Enter Matheesha Pathirana.
This season, in the 13 overs he bowled at the death, he's conceded at only 7.8 RPO and taken a wicket every eight balls. If those numbers haven’t surprised you enough, this is his first full season at the IPL.
For someone so young to do what he’s done is phenomenal. In tonight's game against Mumbai, he bowled the 18th and 20th over without conceding a single boundary.
It’s no secret that Dhoni has always been someone who’s depended on his spinners to win him games. And for Pathirana to get such backing from him says a lot about his potential.
According to the CSK skipper, Pathirana’s slingy action gave him a greater margin of error. It helps him get a greater dip with the slower ones and a lower bounce with the quicker ones, deceiving batters frequently.
The above points were on display when he went up against the five-time champions at Chepauk.
Out of the 12 balls he bowled in the final four, there were two short balls, four yorkers, and just two slower ones.
In fact, it is his limited use of the slower ones that’s made it more effective. Of the 80 balls he has bowled at the death in IPL 2023, there have been just 12 slower ones.
Also, Dhoni’s “greater margin for error” statement was bang on. Even in the clash against MI, 42% of his bowling at the death was in the slot. But, those deliveries still went for just 4.8 RPO.
CSK fans usually refer to him as “Mini Malinga”. He’s so much more than just that. His release point is well below his fellow Sri Lankan, and it’s also a lot wider.
A hallmark of his bowling at the death has been his partnership with Tushar Deshpande. His tight bowling has forced batters to go after his bowling partner, but this ultra-aggressive approach has also resulted in more wickets being lost.
If we look at the numbers, Deshpande and Pathirana, both, have taken 10 wickets at the death. The difference is in the runs conceded. While Pathirana conceded at 7.8 RPO, Deshpande went at 13.6 RPO.
These numbers meant that CSK’s pacers have taken a wicket every nine balls in the final four, the second-best for any team. And their run-rate has been the third best, despite Deshpande being taken to the cleaners at the rate of knots.
And this also is a reflection of how dependent they are on the youngster.
Not that he’s complaining. By his own admission, the Chennai support staff has given him a lot of confidence. And Pathirana getting more games has only helped him improve his game further.
The Super Kings have so far played 11 games, and they have two more home encounters to go. Also, their only away game is going to be at Delhi. A venue that is very similar to Chennai in terms of conditions on offer.
This, coupled with the fact that the first half of the playoffs will happen in Chennai, means that Pathirana will be central to MSD’s plans of bringing the trophy home.
