'It's very similar to what my father did...' - Star CSK player's huge 'father-figure' statement for MS Dhoni

For the last couple of years, former CSK skipper and legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni has been one of the central figures in the Indian Premier League, especially for the CSK fans. Meanwhile, there are also speculations that the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025 could be Dhoni’s last appearance in India’s illustrious franchise tournament.

Meanwhile, the star CSK pacer Matheesha Pathirana has come up with a big statement while speaking about his former skipper and current senior CSK teammate, MS Dhoni. Notably, the former World Champions skipper has been there in a role of mentor for a lot of young CSK players throughout the 17-year-long history of the tournament.

Dhoni is like my father – Matheesha Pathirana

In a recent conversation with a few social media channels, Pathirana said that the former CSK skipper Dhoni is like a father, owing to the support and guidance he passes on.

“Dhoni is like my father, because of the support and the mentorship and the guidance he is giving me when I'm in CSK. It's very similar to what my father did in my home. That's why I consider Dhoni my cricketing father,” said Pathirana.

Furthermore, Pathirana also revealed the special nickname he got from MS Dhoni. Considering his action, which is similar to the former legendary Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, Dhoni gave ‘Mali’ as a nickname to Pathirana, which is a shorter way to call Malinga. Besides that, the young Sri Lanka pacer also cleared that Mali means younger brother in Sri Lanka, which makes it a special for him to getting it from a legend of MS Dhoni’s stature.

Matheesha Pathirana has scalped 5 wickets in three innings for CSK in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025, including the best performance of ‘2 wickets at 28 runs in a game’. He is currently in third spot on the list of the leading wicket-takers for CSK in the tournament’s current edition.