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Irfan Pathan, a former left-hand all-round player who was instrumental in the Indian team led by MS Dhoni to victory in the first-ever ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, disclosed that the captain of CSK, who will likely play in his final IPL season, will support Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka to start every game for the Yellow brigade, saying he enjoys using the leg-spinner with both the new and old ball.
Maheesh Theekshana made his IPL debut two years ago in 2022, one season prior to Chennai’s incredible 2023 campaign, which saw them tie Mumbai Indians for the most titles in the world’s wealthiest cricket competition as the most successful team.
After a fierce bidding battle with the Kolkata Knight Riders during the IPL 2022 mega auction, CSK purchased the Sri Lankan for INR 70 Lakhs.
The Chennai club ended ninth in the points table with just 4 victories in the 10-team season, despite Theekshana’s outstanding first season, which saw him take 12 wickets in 9 matches.
But CSK answered back, as they always do following a disappointing campaign. Both when they batted and when they bowled, MS Dhoni’s team appeared formidable, and their on-field performances reflected this. Chennai, with 17 points from 8 victories and 5 losses, would place second in the standings.
In 2023, Maheesh Theekshana maintained his form and had a similar season, taking 11 wickets in 13 matches.
Along with fellow national Matheesha Pathirana, who replaced Adam Milne at the beginning and took 19 wickets in the 2023 season, he was an essential member of the squad.
Along with bowlers like Tushar Deshpande, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, and Ravindra Jadeja, among others, the Sri Lankan pair made a big difference.
Giving the new ball to spinners, as he did with Ashwin and Theekshana, has been a crucial component of MSD’s strategy.
Irfan Pathan, who has personally participated in numerous IPL matches against Dhoni’s CSK, stated that this season won’t be any different.
“I believe Maheesh Theekshana will get things going. MS Dhoni prefers to utilise Theekshana with the new ball, regardless of when you play in Chepauk, whether at the beginning or finish of the season, according to Irfan Pathan via Star Sports.
Maheesh Theekshana has a respectable bowling average of 25.72 in T20 internationals and has taken 40 wickets for Sri Lanka in 41 games. With 55 wickets in 40 matches, his run of wicket-taking is even more impressive in the second-longest format.
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Although the 23-year-old has been able to duplicate those IPL heroics, he has not yet had his best season to date.
With a 28.39 overall IPL average after 22 games, he has plenty to improve but not many reasons to be concerned.
It’s clear that Maheesh Theekshana enjoys playing for MS Dhoni, but it would be interesting to watch how well he does in the next edition.
