Initially, after being released by the Chennai Super Kings, Matheesha Pathirana, the Sri Lankan pacer, became the hot cake in the market. The latest reports have indicated that the unorthodox bowler had already a new bidder within a week after he was let go by the Super Kings.
The Chennai Super Kings had a disastrous IPL season in 2025, which led them to occupy the last spot in the points table. The CSK management may have thus thought that releasing most of their older players and introducing some new ones in the mini-auction could be a way of boosting their chances.
They not only released the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja but also terminated the contract with the Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana. The pacer entered CSK, was trained and slowly became a master pacer under MS Dhoni’s mentorship and guidance.
Matheesha Pathirana gets a new IPL team
Pathirana ended his association with his former franchise and was put into the players’ pool for the mini-auction, scheduled for the 16th of December. According to the latest reports by Rohit Juglan, the Punjab Kings have become the leading team for the mega-auction.
Additionally, he has reported that before Pathirana was released by CSK, three different franchises were already attempting to negotiate for his services. The Rajasthan Royals were the first to propose the idea of a trade; next in line was LSG, and lastly, they had the previous season’s runners-up, the Punjab Kings.
The Punjab Kings needed a specialist death overs seam bowler, and Pathirana would be the perfect choice; however, a trade of Marcus Stoinis for Matheesha Pathirana was suggested, while Juglan says he does not know who made the offer first.
KKR also may be on the hunt for an overseas pacer
Kolkata Knight Riders, next to Punjab Kings, is the franchise that would be in immense need of a death overs bowler and particularly has the place of an overseas seamer left in the playing eleven.
Ahead of the mini-auction, KKR not only released some expensive players, such as Anrich Nortje, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, and Andre Russell, but also boosted their budget. So KKR not only wants someone like Pathirana, but they are also capable of getting him more than Punjab Kings can.
In the case of Punjab Kings, they will have to accommodate many players as they have started the middle-order rebuilding process by letting go of Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell. Presently, these two franchises remain the main contenders for the CSK star.
Matheesha Pathirana’s IPL Stats
He made his IPL debut in 2022 and has since played four seasons with the Chennai Super Kings. In the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Matheesha Pathirana was CSK’s prime man’s choice for wicket at the death.
While playing only 2 matches in his debut year, he gained recognition due to his unconventional style of bowling, his round-arm action, high release, and yorkers, which for better with time.
Coming from the country of Lasith Malinga, the quick has taken 47 wickets in 32 IPL games and averages a respectable 21.62 in his career. Though his economy rate is slightly higher, he has raw speed, and when he is in good touch, his precision makes him impossible to bat against
