3 CSK youngsters who can have a breakout season in IPL 2023
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been the second-most successful team in the IPL, with four titles to their name.
However, they had a poor season in 2022 as they failed to defend the title. They finished 9th on the points table, winning just 4 matches in the season.
A successful team always plans for the future. While CSK may not have had the youngest squads in their 2018 and 2021 title wins, they will certainly be looking to plan for the future.
Let's take a look at the three youngsters who could have a breakthrough season for the Men in Yellow in this edition of the league.
#1 Mukesh Choudhary
Mukesh Choudhary has the most wickets by an uncapped player in IPL 2022.
Mukesh Choudhary is a left-arm pacer who plays for Maharashtra at the domestic level. He was signed for of ₹20 lakh by CSK at the mega auction ahead of IPL 2022. He made his IPL debut against the Lucknow Super Giants.
He represented Chennai in 13 matches and took 16 wickets at an average of 17.06 and an economy rate of 9.32. Although the economy rate was on the higher side, he picked up big wickets such as Kohli, Williamson, and Rohit in his first season.
He is expected to be a part of CSK's fast bowling unit along with Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Pretorius, and Ben Stokes. He will have to step up in his allotted role so that the franchise can go ahead in the tournament.
#2 Mahesh Theekshana
Theekshana, save best performance on Wankhede for CSK vs MI.
Mahesh Theekshana is a 22-year-old 'mystery' spinner from Sri Lanka. The 'mystery' spinner was signed by Chennai for just ₹70 lakhs in the mega auction before IPL 2022. He made his IPL debut against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Theekshana had a good debut season for the Chennai-based franchise. He took 12 wickets in 9 innings at an average of 21.8 and an economy rate of 7.46. He has also been a regular in the Sri Lanka T20I team.
He also had a solid T20 World Cup, taking 9 wickets in 8 innings at an average of 22.4 and an economy rate of 6.70 on Australian pitches.
He will be an integral part of CSK's spin attack along with Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali. He could prove to be extremely potent in the franchise's home games at Chepauk.
#3 Matheesha Pathirana
Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, also known as 'Baby Malinga', broke into the headlines during the U-19 World Cup last year. He was signed by CSK as a replacement for the injured Adam Milne.
Pathirana made his IPL debut last year against the Gujarat Titans, where he dismissed Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya. He also made his T20I debut against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup last year.
He plays for the Kandy Faclons in the Lanka Premier League. However, he is still at a very nascent stage in his career at the highest level. His bowling action is very similar to the Sri Lankan legend.
While he may not be a starter in CSK's first-choice playing XI, he could prove to be handy at some point during the season. He could come in as a replacement for Pretorius or his Sri Lankan teammate Theekshana if the pitches assist the youngster.