Matheesha Pathirana, a Sri Lankan fast bowler, has a slingy bowling action just like Lasith Malinga. And that’s why fans sometimes also call him Baby Malinga.
This Sri Lankan Baby Malinga caught the attention of Chennai Super Kings’ management, especially their skipper MS Dhoni, and joined their camp in 2022. Since then, Pathirana has impressed with his pace and pin-point yorkers.
Here we’ll glance at Matheesha Pathirana’s IPL career stats, records, and salary in every season.
Matheesha Pathirana IPL Debut
Matheesha Pathirana made his IPL debut towards the fag end of the 2022 season. He came into Chennai Super Kings squad as a replacement and played his first match on May 15, 2022, against Gujarat Titans.
Pathirana kickstarted his IPL career on high, dismissing Shubman Gill on his very first ball in the league. The right-arm pacer picked up another wicket, finishing the match with two scalps for 24 runs in 3.1 overs.
Pathirana featured in one more game that season against Rajasthan Royals, but he didn’t get any wickets while leaking 28 runs in 3.4 overs.
| Match | Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans |
| Series | Indian Premier League 2022 |
| Venue | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Date & Time | May 15, 03:30 PM LOCAL |
You Can Check:- IPL 2025 Retained Players List
Matheesha Pathirana Performance in IPL 2024
Matheesha Pathirana had a short stint in IPL 2024 due to a hamstring injury. Despite that, the pacer didn’t lack consistency in his six appearances, taking 13 wickets at an average of just 13.
Pathirana missed Chennai’s opening match, then played two games before missing another couple of matches. He returned to take his best figures of the season, grabbing four wickets for 28 runs against Mumbai Indians. But Pathirana had to return home in the middle of the season to recover from his injury.
Matheesha Pathirana Last IPL Match
Matheesha Pathirana played his last IPL match on April 28, 2024. He represented Chennai against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the team’s home ground.
Pathirana was in good touch as he picked up two wickets while conceding 17 runs in his two overs. After this match, a hamstring injury ruled him out of the remainder of the season.
| Match | Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Series | Indian Premier League 2024 |
| Venue | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| Date & Time | April 28, 07:30 PM LOCAL |
You Can Check Also:- IPL 2025 Mega Auction
Matheesha Pathirana IPL Auction Price & History
Matheesha Pathirana’s entry into IPL is quite interesting. The pacer had put his name into the 2022 auction and didn’t attract any bids.
But during the 2022 season, Chennai Super Kings brought him in as a replacement at his base price of INR 20 lakhs. Pathirana continued playing at the same price for two more seasons.
But ahead of the 2025 season, Chennai’s management increased his salary to INR 13 crore while retaining him in the squad.
| Year | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 20.00 Lac | Chennai |
| 2024 | 20.00 Lac | Chennai |
Matheesha Pathirana Bowling Stats
| Year | Mat | Balls | Runs | WKTS | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4W | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 20 | 451 | 592 | 34 | 4/28 | 17.41 | 7.88 | 13.26 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 6 | 132 | 169 | 13 | 4/28 | 13 | 7.68 | 10.15 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 12 | 278 | 371 | 19 | 3/15 | 19.53 | 8.01 | 14.63 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 41 | 52 | 2 | 2/24 | 26 | 7.61 | 20.5 | 0 | 0 |
Read Also:- Uncapped Players in IPL 2025 Auction
Want to know which team Matheesha Pathirana will play for in IPL 2025?
Ever since Matheesha Pathirana made his debut for Chennai Super Kings, he has become an integral part of the squad. The franchise is grooming the young quick quite well, and he seems to be in their long-term plans.
And Pathirana’s retention ahead of the IPL 2025 season confirms that. The Sri Lankan bowler will play a decisive role in Chennai’s dominance in the IPL 2025 season.
