Chennai Super Kings' Matheesha Pathirana took arguably the catch of the 2024 Indian Premier League season so far, as an enormous leap from the Sri Lankan pacer, followed by a one-handed stunner, resulted in the dismissal of the dangerous David Warner on Sunday. Pathirana, stationed at third man, made no mistake as he cut short the Delhi Capitals opener's knock on 52 with an extraordinary effort.
The ball, slower and pitched full from Mustafizur Rahman, seemed ripe for Warner's signature reverse-lap shot. With confidence, the Australian executed the shot, striking the ball cleanly. However, the placement of the shot proved to be his downfall.
As the ball soared towards Pathirana, the fielder dove with determination and managed to snatch the ball behind his body, securing a remarkable one-handed catch.
Warner, visibly disappointed, acknowledged the brilliance of the catch as he trudged off the field. Watch the brilliant catch from Pathirana:
The wicket came at an opportune moment for the Super Kings as the duo of Warner and Prithvi Shaw had made things difficult for the CSK bowlers in the middle. After a sluggish start to the innings, both began to find their feet and smashed the bowlers all around the park, accumulating 62 runs in the Powerplay.
{{/usCountry}}The wicket came at an opportune moment for the Super Kings as the duo of Warner and Prithvi Shaw had made things difficult for the CSK bowlers in the middle. After a sluggish start to the innings, both began to find their feet and smashed the bowlers all around the park, accumulating 62 runs in the Powerplay.
{{/usCountry}}Warner reached his half-century in the ninth over of the innings off 32 deliveries, and looked set for a big score before the reverse-lap shot eventually brought about his downfall.
Earlier in the game, Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant had won the toss and opted to bat in Visakhapatnam. Shaw was given his first game after he remained on the bench throughout the Capitals' opening two losses in the 2024 season. Additionally, Kuldeep Yadav also missed out on making into the playing XI due to an injury. CSK, meanwhile, remained unchanged following the two terrific wins to start the campaign.
Super Kings look to keep top spot intact
Chennai Super Kings made a prolific start to the 2024 season last week, as Ruturaj Gaikwad's men defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets in the season opener. Earlier this week, in a rematch of the previous year's final against Gujarat Titans, CSK emerged on top with a comprehensive 63-run victory.