Matheesha Pathirana becomes costliest player ever in LPL auction history, to earn 5 times more than his IPL salary

Published at :May 21, 2024 at 8:57 PM

Modified at :May 21, 2024 at 8:57 PM

(Courtesy : BCCI)

Matheesha Pathirana was bought by Colombo Strikers at the LPL 2024 auction.

Sri Lankan young speedster Matheesha Pathirana set the record for the most expensive player in the history of the Lanka Premier League (IPL) on May 21 when he was sold for a whopping USD 120,000 at the LPL 2024 auction.

Recently, Pathirana played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). But his stint was cut short after playing six matches due to hamstring injury. He took 13 wickets while maintaining a brilliant economy rate of 7.68.

Pathirana’s injury and his absence played a huge role in Chennai’s group-stage exit in the IPL 2024 season. The defending champions failed to defend their title as they finished fifth in the points table.

Matheesha Pathirana sold at the LPL auction for nearly five times of his IPL price

The 21-year-old Sri Lankan pacer was first roped in by CSK in the IPL 2022 season as a replacement for the injured Adam Milne for Rs 20 lakhs. The right-arm seamer then played a crucial role in CSK’s title triumph in the IPL 2023 edition.

In the latest LPL auction, Dambulla Thunders began the bidding at USD 70,000 after Pathirana entered the auction for his base price of USD 50,000.

Galle Marvels took the bidding to USD 100,000 straightaway. To avoid retention by the Colombo Strikers, Galle even increased their own bid to USD 120,000 (Rs 99 lakhs approx), but their effort went in vain as Colombo Strikers ultimately signed the player through Right to Match (RTM) card. This means that Pathirana will earn five times of his IPL price in the LPL.

The slingy-actioned Sri Lankan fast bowler will next be seen in action in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, provided he recovers in time from his hamstring injury. The marquee tournament will be jointly hosted by the USA and the West Indies in June.

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