Pacer Matheesha Pathirana will be missing the first half of the upcoming IPL 2024 season due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the 2nd T20I match of the Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh 2024.
Matheesha Pathirana to miss IPL 2024 matches
The Chennai Super Kings suffered a major setback ahead of the tournament as the previous season’s best batter Devon Conway and bowler Matheesha Pathirana will be missing the first half of the IPL due to injuries.
The 21-year-old pacer who was a death-over specialist for CSK during last season played a crucial role in the team’s title win picking 19 wickets in 12 matches.
According to reports, he needs to rest for at least four to five weeks and miss a few matches for CSK in the IPL 2024 schedule.
“The Grade 1 hamstring typically takes nearly two weeks to recover fully. So, it remains to be seen when Pathirana can join the team, and it is hard to tell at this stage whether he will be available for the initial couple of matches,” said an IPL source.
His appearance in the IPL 2024 will be decided by the board as the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is set to take place after the end of IPL.
“We have to talk to SLC to know when he will be available. He is one of our premier bowlers, but these things happen,” said a CSK official.
The Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman may replace the Sri Lankan pacer in the CSK squad after being signed for INR 2 crores during the IPL 2024 auction last December.
“Fizz will join the camp on March 20, a couple of days before our opener against RCB. He knows what it takes, and we’ll see how he shapes up,” the official said.
On the other hand, CSK opener Devon Conway will be missing a few matches after undergoing surgery on the left thumb.
The 32-year-old Devon Conway injured his thumb during the 2nd match of the T20I series of Australia’s tour of New Zealand 2024.
After reviewing medical reports, he was suggested for surgery. New Zealand Cricket has revealed that the batter has to rest for 8 weeks after the surgery.
The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League is set to begin on March 22 with reigning champions CSK and RCB playing in the first match of the tournament at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
BCCI has announced only the first half of the IPL 2024 schedule due to elections in India. With election dates to be announced on March 16, BCCI is considering moving the second half of the tournament to the United Arab Emirates.
