Matheesha Pathirana’s journey to cricket stardom has been inspirational. Born into a family of musicians in Kandy, he was more familiar with melodies than cricket balls. He even dreamed of becoming a pilot, inspired by his mother’s wishes. But fate had other plans.
His love for sports began with baseball, and cricket wasn’t even on his radar until seventh grade. That changed when his school seniors noticed his raw bowling talent and urged him to join the practice. His slingy action and natural pace quickly turned heads, catching the attention of Sri Lankan legend Chaminda Vaas, who helped him secure a spot at Trinity College.
MS Dhoni’s role in Matheesha’s CSK Journey
A viral video of his six-wicket haul catapulted him into the spotlight, eventually drawing CSK’s interest. Matheesha’s big break came when CSK’s video analyst, Lakshmi Narayanan, spotted his bowling skills in a video. Impressed, he tracked Matheesha’s performance in the Abu Dhabi T10 league before recommending him for CSK’s nets.
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan recalled the moment MS Dhoni first saw Matheesha Pathirana bowl. “MS had never seen him before. But after just one session in the nets, he knew there was something special.”
Matheesha’s journey to the IPL had an unexpected twist. Matheesha’s journey took a major turn thanks to Maheesh Theekshana, his Sri Lankan teammate at CSK. Seeing his potential, Theekshana advised his family to apply for an Indian visa, knowing CSK needed a replacement. While they were on their way back home to Kandy after submitting the application, they got the news that changed everything. Matheesha was signed as Adam Milne’s replacement for IPL 2022.
Since then, Dhoni has been like an elder brother to him, guiding him every step on the way. “There are no words for MS Dhoni. He is like a god to Matheesha,” his mother said emotionally.
His father shared a heartfelt thought: “At home, I’m his father. But in India, that role belongs to MS Dhoni.”
Matheesha added. “Dhoni is like a father figure to me. The way he supports me in cricket is just like how my father supports me in life.”
The bond was clear from the first time they met. CSK legend greeted him with “Mali,” a Sri Lankan word for younger brother.
In IPL 2024, Matheesha played just six matches before an injury sidelined him. But Dhoni’s faith in him was so strong that CSK retained him for INR 13 crore, making him the first fast bowler the franchise kept ahead of a mega auction.
