Explained: Why Nathan Ellis Is Not Playing For CSK In IPL 2025 Match Against RCB
Ellis bowled four overs for Chennai Super Kings in the last IPL 2025 match played against Mumbai Indians and picked up one wicket for 38 runs in his quota of four overs.
Five-time champion Chennai Super Kings are taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in match No. 8 of IPL 2025 on Friday (March 28). The second league stage match of the 18th edition of the world’s richest franchise cricket league for Chennai Super Kings is currently underway at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has won the toss and opted to field first.
related stories
CSK have made one change to the playing XI for the ongoing match. In place of Australian speedster Nathan Ellis, Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana is playing.
Ellis made his IPL debut for CSK in the last match against the Mumbai Indians and picked up one wicket for 38 runs in his quota of four overs.
Pathirana, on the other hand, last played a competitive match on January 30, 2025, for Joburg Super Kings against Paarl Royals at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. He bowled two overs in that match but was not able to take any wicket and conceded 23 runs.
Pathirana’s record in IPL
The 22-year-old fast bowler from Sri Lanka has played 20 IPL matches for CSK in the last three seasons and has picked up 34 wickets. He made his IPL debut for CSK on May 15, 2022, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against Gujarat Titans and picked up Shubman Gill as his first wicket. He finished that match with figures of 2/24 in 3.1 overs.
Pathirana was retained for Rs 13 crore by the Chennai-based franchise ahead of IPL 2025 mega auctions after he finished the 2024 season with 13 wickets in six matches.
Bhuvneshwar in for Rasikh
RCB have also made one change to the playing XI for the high-voltage match against CSK. Senior Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is playing in place of Rasikh Salam Dar, who might come in as an impact player during the second half of the match.
Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Stay updated with all the latest news on IPL 2025, including the schedule, points table, top run-scorers (IPL Orange Cap), and leading wicket-takers (IPL Purple Cap). Get real-time updates, match highlights, and expert insights—only on News18.
- Location :
- First Published: