Chennai Super Kings, who have an impressive track record with five championship titles, kicked off their IPL 2025 season in style. In their opening match, they faced off against their long-time rivals, the Mumbai Indians, and came out on top. With some solid bowling, they managed to limit Mumbai to just 155 runs. Chasing this total, the Super Kings completed their job in 19.1 overs, marking a great start for them on the points table.
Even though this win was a great way to start the season, fans couldn’t help but notice that Matheesha Pathirana, one of their star bowlers, wasn’t part of the game. His absence left many questions in the air since the team didn’t explain why he wasn’t playing. As fans speculated, an insider from CSK shed some light on the situation, saying that Pathirana was out due to an injury.
During a chat with Kris Srikkanth, a former top Indian cricketer and BCCI chairman of selectors, the insider mentioned that Pathirana’s injury might actually keep him out of the tournament. It’s believed that he got hurt while adjusting his bowling style, but the insider added that it’s hard to make any solid conclusions until the team releases an official statement.
Hope it's not true pls man @ChennaiIPL , @god 🙏🏻pic.twitter.com/Se6axp8lIl
— Likhit MSDian™🦁 (@LIKHITRTF) March 24, 2025
So, what will the Chennai Super Kings do if Pathirana can’t return to the field?
With him out, they brought in Nathan Ellis, an Australian fast bowler, into their lineup for the match against the Mumbai Indians. If it turns out that Pathirana is out for the whole tournament, CSK might look at some of the players who weren’t picked in the auction to find a replacement. It’ll be interesting to see how they adjust and manage the rest of the season without one of their key bowlers.
