IPL
Sehwag: Chennai's bowling lineup shaky without Mustafiz and Pathirana
|| CF DESK ||
India's former batter Virender Sehwag stated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling department is under threat due to the absence of Mustafizur Rahman and Matheesha Pathirana.
A number of injuries in the CSK bowling line-up have become concerning for the team, with Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande's fitness in jeopardy while Deepak Chahar’s hamstring injury has proven to be a huge blow for CSK.
While Mustafizur has returned to the country after the match against Punjab Kings, completing his IPL stint with the CSK for the national duties. The pacer will feature against the Zimbabwe Series as preparation of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Sehwag noted that the absence of the bowling duo has distorted the bowling-line up of the CSK. He also mentioned when CSK lost two matches in absence of Mustafiz in the middle of the tournament due to a Visa issue.
“Even when Mustafizur Rahman went back to the country for visa issue, Chennai lost two matches. The bowling department weakened when Pathirana and he does not play for CSK. Chennai won when Pathirana and Mustafiz played together. Mustafiz has returned to Bangladesh now. There are also doubts about Pathirana’s fitness. I think the Chennai’s combination is a bit shaky,” said Sehwag in a show on Cricbuzz.
Mustafizur was signed by CSK in the 2023 IPL auction and has been in stellar form throughout the tournament. He has delivered a string of match-winning performances which proved to be crucial to his team's success.
Mustafiz appeared in nine matches and bagged 14 wickets for the franchise in the 16th season. He finished his stint being the second on the list of highest wicket-takers of the tournament.