CSK vs KKR IPL 2024: Will Matheesha Pathirana Play For Chennai Super Kings Against Kolkata Knight Riders?

Chennai Super Kings sweat on the fitness of pacer Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the IPL 2024 match 22 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday (April 8).

Pathirana, who recently recovered from a grade 1 hamstring injruy, missed CSK's defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad last week due to a "niggle" as revealed by the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad at the toss on Friday (April 5).

The 21-year-old Sri Lankan pacer had suffered an hamstring injury during the second T20I last month's bilateral series in Bangladesh, forcing him out of the third and final game as well as the first match of IPL 2024.

The youngster with a slingy action, however, returned to action as quickly as the second match in IPL 2024 for CSK on March 26 when he was used as a Impact substitute against Gujarat Titans, replacing Shivam Dube.

The CSK pacer also made another impact player appearance in the next match against Delhi Capitals, replacing Dube in the second innings, before missing the recent outing against SRH with a niggle.

In the two matches, Pathirana had claimed 4 wickets. The Sri Lankan as well as Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who had flown back home to sort out his US visa, were a big miss for CSK in their last outing, but will provide a big boost if available in the next match.

Will Pathirana play for CSK vs KKR in IPL 2024 Match 22?

The Sri Lankan was seen bowling in the nets on Sunday (April 7), the eve of the game, but the CSK bowling coach Eric Simons was not giving away too much about his availablity for tonight's match. Simons, however, said Pathirana was rested as a precaution vs SRH.

The CSK fast bowling coach revealed Pathirana's appearance will solely depend on the physio's clearance as they don't want to risk him for one game and lose him for four games in a long tournament such as the IPL.

"Regarding Pathirana, yes, it's a long tournament. We wanted to be conservative with the decision surrounding him. So, whether he'll play in the next match is up to the physios to decide.

"Our only concern is that it's a long tournament. We just want to make sure that we don't risk four games to make sure he plays one. So our decisions are based on that. But he's coming along very nicely." Simons said at the pre-match conference.