Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana is thrilled after Chennai Super Kings retained him for Rs 13 crore for IPL 2025. Matheesha Pathirana‘s exceptional performance secured his spot, marking a significant milestone since joining CSK in 2022. Meanwhile, the IPL 2025 Mega Auction promises thrilling action with numerous marquee players up for grabs.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, starring in the Abu Dhabi T10, is rejoicing after being retained by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a massive Rs 13 crore ahead of IPL 2025. Known for his prowess as a death-over specialist, Matheesha Pathirana expressed gratitude for CSK’s enduring trust in his abilities.
Retained Matheesha Pathirana is happy to be with Chennai Super Kings
Since making his debut in 2022, Matheesha Pathirana has been CSK‘s best bowler when available. He’s struggled with injuries in his young IPL career. The unorthodox pacer has managed to play just 20 of CSK’s 44 matches in the last three seasons. In these limited outings, he’s shown that he’s more than reliable.
Matheesha Pathirana was undoubtedly the best death/middle overs bowler alongside Jasprit Bumrah in the 2024 season. Knowing what he offers is rare, CSK decided to retain him for IPL 2025 for a whopping Rs 13 crore. He was paid just Rs 20 lakh until last season. That is a 64.00% increase, and Matheesha Pathirana is grateful to the franchise for valueing him. Matheesha Pathirana also expressed his excitement about playing with legendary MS Dhoni yet again
Matheesha Pathirana Celebrates Major IPL Retention Amid High-Stakes 2025 Mega Auction
Pathirana joined CSK in 2022, when he played two games and took two wickets. The following year, he had a breakthrough season, playing 12 games and claiming 19 wickets. In 2024, he continued his impressive form, picking up 13 wickets in six games. In total, Pathirana has played 20 matches for CSK, taking 34 wickets with an economy rate of 7.88 and a best bowling figure of 4/28.
Despite CSK’s strong performances, the team narrowly missed their playoff chances in 2024, finishing fifth under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Pathirana also expressed his delight at the prospect of sharing the dressing room with CSK captain MS Dhoni once again. The young bowler highlighted the unique experience of playing alongside the legendary cricketer.
“Everyone knows how it will be, so no need to say again. It’s really cool and nice,” he remarked.
MS Dhoni has always taken decisions according to his will. He retired from Test cricket midway through a series without informing anyone, and it wasn’t almost a year after the ODI World Cup 2019 that he revealed he’s done with international cricket.
Given how Dhoni takes big decisions on his whim, it’ll be comforting for many to know that he’ll take the field for at least one more year. For the unaware, there was unsurity over the former CSK skipper’s participation in IPL 2025. Even Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of the franchise, wasn’t certain of Dhoni’s plan.
Mere weeks before the retention deadline, he’d revealed that Dhoni was yet to inform them whether he’d play or not. His retirements have been all of a sudden, and despite Matheesha Pathirana confirming he’ll play, one really doesn’t know what’s about to come next with him.
CSK’s strategy is likely to focus on blending seasoned players with fresh talent, maintaining the balance that has driven their past successes. Besides Dhoni, their retained players include Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and Matheesha Pathirana.
The IPL 2025 Mega Auction promises to deliver high-stakes action, with marquee players and strategic maneuvers set to enthrall cricket fans.
Of the 574 players, 366 are Indian, while 208 are overseas, including three from associate nations. The auction will see 318 Indian uncapped players and 12 uncapped overseas players in contention. There are 204 slots available, with 70 reserved for overseas players. The highest reserve price is set at INR 2 crore, with 81 players opting for this bracket. The largest segment comprises players with a base price of INR 30 lakh, totaling 320.
Several teams will deploy Right-to-Match (RTM) cards during the auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), having retained six players each–the maximum allowed–will not have any RTM cards. Punjab Kings (PBKS) hold four RTMs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) three, and Delhi Capitals (DC) two. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Mumbai Indians (MI) each have one RTM.
RTM cards enable teams to buy back released players by matching the highest bid. In this auction, the team with the highest bid can increase their offer once more, after which the team holding the RTM card can match the final bid to secure the player.
Among the standout names are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, part of the 12 marquee players. These three captains were released by their respective franchises ahead of the retention deadline. For the first time since 2018, the marquee players are divided into two sets, comprising seven Indian players and five overseas stars.