"MS Dhoni loves Maheesh Theekshana.."- Irfan Pathan

Former left-hand all-rounder Irfan Pathan who was a key figure of the Indian team under the captaincy of MS Dhoni that won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup 2007 in South Africa, revealed that the CSK skipper who will most probably play his final IPL season will back Sri-Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana to start all games for the Yellow brigade, claiming that he loves using the leg-spinner both with the new as well as old ball.

Maheesh Theekshana made his IPL debut 2 years ago in 2022, a season before Chennai’s triumphant 2023 season which saw them become the most successful outfit of the world’s richest cricketing tournament alongside Mumbai Indians who also have 5 titles to their name.

The Sri Lankan was bought by CSK for INR 70 Lakhs following an aggressive bidding war against the Kolkata Knight Riders during the mega auction for IPL 2022. Theekshana had an impressive debut season as he scalped 12 wickets from 9 matches but that didn’t benefit the Chennai-based outfit as they finished 9th in the points table after winning just 4 matches across the 10-team season.

However, CSK responded like they always do after a bad season. MS Dhoni’s side looked formidable in terms of batting as well as bowling and that was evident in their performances on the field. Chennai would finish 2nd in the points table with 17 points from 8 wins and 5 losses.

Maheesh Theekshana carried on with his form in 2023 and experienced a similar season, racking up 11 wickets this time in 13 matches. He was an imperative part of the team which also had his fellow countryman Matheesha Pathirana who had originally arrived as a replacement for Adam Milne and amassed 19 wickets in the 2023 season.

The Sri Lankan duo made a significant impact along with bowlers like Tushar Deshpande, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, and Ravindra Jadeja among others. One of the key things behind MSD’s strategy has been handing the new ball to spinners like he used to do with Ashwin and now Theekshana.

Irfan Pathan who himself has played many times against Dhoni’s CSK in IPL, revealed that it will be no different this season as well.

“Maheesh Theekshana, I think he will start. Regardless of whenever you play in Chepauk, whether at the start of the season or a the back end of it, MS Dhoni loves to use Theekshana with the new ball.” – Irfan Pathan said via Star Sports. 

Maheesh Theekshana Awaiting For His Best IPL Season Yet In 2024 Edition

In T20 internationals, Maheesh Theekshana has a decent bowling average of 25.72 and has racked up 40 wickets for Sri Lanka across 41 matches. His wicket-taking spree is even better in the 2nd longest format, registering 55 scalps in 40 matches.

The 23-year-old has been able to replicate those performances in IPL but he is yet to experience his best season ever. His overall IPL average after 22 IPL games stands at 28.39 and has very few reasons to worry but a lot to work on. Maheesh Theekshana’s fondness to play under the captaincy of MS Dhoni has been pretty evident and it remains to be seen how well he can perform in the upcoming edition.