Matheesha Pathirana had a disappointing season for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), going at 10.13 runs per over while bowling the most number of wides in one season in IPL history. Chennai Super Kings finished at the bottom of the points table for the first time in the IPL.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins in the ongoing IPL season, as a disappointing campaign came to an end for the Men in Yellow. However, the MS Dhoni-led side finished it on a high, catching Gujarat Titans on their downward slide after having qualified for the playoffs already. Apart from all the batting failures and the team playing outdated cricket, apart from Khaleel Ahmed and Noor Ahmad, the bowling also struggled for the Super Kings.
At the front and centre of the devastating bowling returns for CSK was their lead seamer Matheesha Pathirana, who had his worst season in the IPL thus far. Pathirana ended up breaking his own record of bowling the most wide balls in an IPL season (32) while conceding runs at 10.13, which was the worst by a CSK bowler to play 10-plus games in one edition.
Bowlers to bowl the most wide balls in one IPL season
32 – Matheesha Pathirana (CSK) – 2025 (12 innings)
31 – Matheesha Pathirana (CSK) – 2023 (11 innings)
30 – Prasidh Krishna (RR) – 2022 (13 innings)
28 – Dale Steyn (RCB) – 2010 (15 innings)
27 – Mohammed Siraj (RCB) – 2023 (11 innings)
CSK had someone like Nathan Ellis as the backup, who didn’t return for the resumption of the tournament, as the Australian seamer played just one game in the whole season and the five-time champions stayed with Pathirana throughout despite nominal returns. This was the joint-worst season for CSK in the IPL, losing 10 matches and were in danger of being defeat in another one before Gujarat Titans chose to self-destruct. CSK piled on 230 runs in their final league stage game and registered a massive 83-run victory.
It has been a season of learning for CSK as they tried to flip their booklet within the season, bringing in the likes of Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel and Dewald Brevis, who took on the bowling and kept going for their shots. CSK can witness a young core building for the next few seasons and with uncertainty on MS Dhoni’s IPL future, it seems the 2025 edition might herald a transition for the franchise in more ways than one.
