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Matheesha Pathirana missed out on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) playing XI against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 game at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday (May 5).
With that, Pathirana misses back-to-back games for the defending champions Super Kings against Punjab due to a niggle. Richard Gleeson, who bagged a solitary wicket on his debut against Punjab, will continue to feature in the XI in Pathirana's absence.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who lost 10 out of the 11 tosses this season, said at the toss:
"This season there have been a lot of injuries, flus and forced changes so we've had to tinker with our team."
Pathirana's absence came as a big setback for CSK in the previous game as the five-time champions failed to defend 162 against Punjab at Chepauk. The Sri Lankan pacer has bagged 13 wickets in six games at an economy rate of 7.68.
Tushar Deshpande, however, returned to the playing XI, while Mitchell Santner replaced Mustafizur Rahman. The left-arm pacer has left the franchise for national duty amid the ongoing T20 series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
In a statement, CSK announced:
"Chennai Super Kings pacer Matheesha Pathirana is nursing a hamstring injury and will be returning to Sri Lanka for further recovery. Chennai Super Kings wishes Pathirana a quick recovery."
PBKS opt to bowl against CSK in IPL 2024 match
Punjab Kings captain Sam Curran won the toss and chose to bowl against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. They fielded the same XI following a seven-wicket win over the same side. At the toss, Curran said:
"We're going to bowl. Day game, try and see how it plays and chase it down. We've got the same team. We've had two really good wins with the same team. Conditions should be fairly even throughout, it's about batting, bowling and fielding well."
With four wins in 10 matches, PBKS are placed eighth in the IPL 2024 points table. They must win their remaining four matches to stay in the fray for a place in the playoffs.
On the other hand, CSK are fifth with five wins in 10 games. They will look to avenge their loss against Punjab and return to winning ways.
Follow the PBKS vs CSK IPL 2024 live score and updates here.
