SA20 2025: Joburg Super Kings sign Matheesha Pathirana as a wildcard pick

For the third SA20 tournament, the Joburg Super Kings selected Matheesha Pathirana, an international player for Sri Lanka, as a wildcard. The pacer has established a reputation for himself in the shortest format while playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Joburg’s sibling club in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 21-year-old took 34 wickets in three seasons for CSK, and the team decided to sign him for the upcoming season after recognising his potential, particularly in the dying overs.

In the recent past, Joburg also signed Doug Bracewell, Evan Jones, and Wihaan Lube for the October 1 auction in Cape Town.

Matheesha Pathirana was named the team’s wildcard player by Johannesburg the next day.

Remarkably, the cricket player was given a personalised video package where he played the role of The Undertaker, a former professional wrestler.

Woza Joburg! Get ready to witness toe-crushing yorkers at the Bull ring! #WhistleForJoburg #ToJoburgWeBelong @matheesha_81 @SA20_League pic.twitter.com/oWFzm9TiZG

— Joburg Super Kings (@JSKSA20) October 2, 2024

In the competition’s 2024 season, Johannesburg famously made it to the playoffs but fell short against the Durban Super Giants in the second qualifier. Although they started slowly, the team captained by Faf du Plessis gained up steam just in time to advance to the next round. Their main weakness over the last two rounds has been bowling, therefore adding Pathirana was crucial for the group.

Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow, both from England, are also in the team. Ali has contributed significantly to the Super Kings organisation over his many years as a member of the starting lineup. Bairstow has a lot to prove in this regard. In order for the keeper-batter to return to the starting lineup for England in any of the three formats, he must significantly improve. He can accomplish it well on the SA20 2025 platform.

Also Read: SA20 2025: Durban’s Super Giants hire Allan Donald as bowling coach

The bowling section will be supervised by Tabraiz Shamsi, Imran Tahir, Nandre Burger, and Pathirana. They have assembled a solid roster on paper, and they compose a powerful attack. Johannesburg now has an excellent chance to challenge for the championship.