Sri Lankan mystery spinner rattled the Kiwis with his immaculate skill, and will be on the radar of a few franchises ahead of the IPL 2026.
The bow and arrow celebration seems to be coming out a bit too often these days! Maheesh Theekshana is in a league of his own, and he certainly made the New Zealand batters feel the heat with his immaculate artistry in their Super 8s fixture in Colombo.
Looking at his figures from the game would not paint an exact picture that Theekshana would have liked to portray. However, the first three overs that he bowled went for just nine runs, in exchange of three wickets by the mystery spinner. Too much mystery for the Kiwis!
However, he was taken to the cleaners in the last over of his spell, which conceded 21 runs to the New Zealand batters. For a long time now, Maheesh Theekshana has been a vital player for the Lankans. His ability to generate variations is second to none, and will be extremely important if Sri Lanka are to go far in the tournament.
All said and done, it is quite unbelievable that the spinner went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. With a lot of players being under the risk of an injury, Maheesh Theekshana could be one of the prospects for multiple franchises as a back-up option.
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The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have a good spin-bowling attack, but one of those names happens to be Wanindu Hasaranga. The leg-spinner from Sri Lanka has recently been ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 due to an injury.
The extent of the injury is yet to be known, but the franchise will be watching Maheesh Theekshana from close quarters after performances like these. The wickets at Ekana stadium have a tendency to grip and turn, and that is where Theekshana can pose as a threat for oppositions.
The defending champions of the IPL will do everything in their power to reclaim the title, which they won after 18 long years. That being said, they will need the services of some good spinners in order to thrive in the 19th edition of the league.
The Rajat Patidar-led side had Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma as their prime spinners in the last edition, who did well especially under pressure. However, the franchise would like to have another option up their sleeve, and that can arrive in the form of the Sri Lankan mystery spinner.
The 2016 IPL champions let go of every spinner apart from Zeeshan Ansari, wo was always going to be their choice – due to his impactful bowling. However, the franchise can rely on the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Liam Livingstone for their bowling.
The Orange Army got their hands on Harsh Dubey recently, who can also be a good prospect. But it would not be too bad to add another option to their arsenal, in the form of the in-form Maheesh Theekshana. The right-arm spinner can add real value to the side.
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