3 uncapped players who Chennai Super Kings will retain for IPL 2023

3. Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana is a Sri Lankan fast bowler who is fondly called the “Junior Malinga” because of his bowling action, which is similar to Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga. The 19-year-old came into the limelight in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup because of his unorthodox, slingy bowling action and now he has displayed the same in World’s biggest T20 league, IPL.

The right-arm pacer was roped in by CSK as a replacement for New Zealand speedster Adam Milne. With many other options in the squad, Pathirana could not take his place in the playing XI straight away. However, he got a chance to make his IPL debut against Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium, where the right-arm picked up the prized wicket of Shubham Gill right on his very first ball. Furthermore, in his second over, he got the wicket of Hardik Pandya on a slower ball.

The Sri Lankan bowler featured in just two games and, he showed his talent in those games. He could be effective for CSK in the upcoming years. His career has just started and he will learn as he grows with the experience. The slingy, unorthodox action is always hard to pick and can trouble opposition batters. Keeping that in mind, Pathirana can be seen in CSK’s scheme of things for IPL 2023.