SA20 2025: Joburg Super Kings sign Matheesha Pathirana as wildcard pick

Joburg Super Kings signed Sri Lanka international Matheesha Pathirana as a wildcard pick for the third edition of the SA20. The pacer has played for Joburg’s sister franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has made a name for himself in the shortest format. The 21-year-old has played three seasons for CSK, picking up 34 wickets and keeping his impact in mind, especially in the death overs, the franchise signed up for the next edition. 

Recently, Joburg also signed Wihaan Lube, Evan Jones and Doug Bracewell in the auction, which took place on October 1 in Cape Town. On the next day, Joburg announced Pathirana as their wildcard player. Interestingly, a special video package was designed for the cricketer, in which, he was portrayed as the former professional wrestler, The Undertaker.

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Woza Joburg! Get ready to witness toe-crushing yorkers at the Bull ring! 🦁🔥#WhistleForJoburg #ToJoburgWeBelong @matheesha_81 @SA20_League pic.twitter.com/oWFzm9TiZG

— Joburg Super Kings (@JSKSA20) October 2, 2024

Notably, Joburg qualified for the playoffs in the 2024 edition of the competition but lost to Durban Super Giants in the Qualifier 2. The Faf du Plessis-led side had a slow start but picked up pace at the right time to make it to the next round. Bowling has been their biggest concern in the past two editions, which is why, Pathirana’s addition was important for the team.

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The team also features the England duo of Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow. Ali has been a part of the Super Kings set-up for quite a few years now and has done well for the franchise. When it comes to Bairstow, he has things to prove. The keeper-batter is currently out of England’s scheme of things in all three formats and to come back into the set-up, he needs step up big time. The SA20 2025 is a good platform for him to do it.

Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi, Nandre Burger and Pathirana will be in charge of the bowling unit. They make a formidable attack and Joburg now have a good chance to fight for the title as they have built a strong squad on paper.