The 62nd match of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League is underway right now at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where the Gujarat Titans are facing the defending champions Chennai Super Kings. CSK skipper MS Dhoni made four changes to his playing XI for this match. One of them was including Matheesha Pathirana in the playing XI.
The 19-year-old Sri Lankan player from Kandy played only two matches in his T20 career before making his Chennai Super Kings debut. He went unsold at the IPL 2022 Auction, but the Chennai-based franchise signed him as a replacement for the injured Adam Milne.
Speaking about the match between the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings, CSK won the toss and elected to bat first. A half-century from IPL 2021 Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad has helped the Chennai Super Kings post a 133-run total in their 20 overs.
Narayan Jagadeesan played his first match for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022 today and scored 39 runs off 33 deliveries. Here’s what he said after the first innings:
“The wicket was a bit sticky. It was two-paced. But I think we are 15-20 runs short. Everybody got their own plans, it’s about the execution. if we execute correctly, I think its game on. It will be the fast bowlers (who will hold the key). When they keep changing their pace, it’s a bit tricky for the batters.”
Fans react as Matheesha Pathirana takes a wicket on the first ball of his IPL career
Nicknamed as Junior Malinga, Matheesha Pathirana took a wicket on the first ball of his IPL career with a picture-perfect yorker to Shubman Gill. Here are some of the top Twitter reactions to that ball:
Malinga pathirana
— sarkaru vari paata (@pyureluck) May 15, 2022
Matheesha Pathirana gets his maiden IPL wicket in the first ball of his IPL career.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 15, 2022
Maiden IPL wicket on his first ball for Matheesha Pathirana. What a start to his IPL career.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 15, 2022
Pathirana serves a plum treat the very first ball! 💛#CSKvGT #Yellove #WhistlePodu 💛🦁
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 15, 2022
L. B. W! ☝️
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 15, 2022
A first-ball wicket on the IPL debut for Matheesha Pathirana! 👍 👍#GT lose Shubman Gill in the chase.
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/wRjV4rFs6i #TATAIPL | #CSKvGT | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/TLSn6kob65
1st wicket in 1st ball on debut for Matheesha Pathirana in IPL.
— The Alchemist (@ponananthvs) May 15, 2022
Everyone by their phones at the Brabourne to watch Pathirana bowl…..Big game here today #RRvsLSG
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 15, 2022
Wicket in his first ball in IPL. Matheesha Pathirana off to a dream start! #IPL2022 #CSKvGT
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) May 15, 2022
Hasaranga, Chameera, Theekshana, Rajapaksa and now Pathirana. Sri Lankan players making quite an impact in #IPL2022
— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) May 15, 2022
M Pathirana's release point is perhaps a tad lower than even Malinga's release.
— Bharath Ramaraj (@Fancricket12) May 15, 2022
It would take time for a batter to adjust. Not exactly surprising that he picked up a wicket off his first ball in IPL.
