Morawakage Maheesh Theekshana

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All the latest news about cricketer Maheesh Theekshana is presented here especially for you, from his training plan to what he has achieved on the field in the last cricket matches played.

IND vs SL | Twitter reacts as Maheesh Theekshana breaks Indian run-flow with stunning return catch

‌The game of cricket has witnessed some stunning one-handed takes that took the batting team by surprise. One of the single-handed grabs was witnessed in the Last Super Fours game of the Asia Cup by Maheesh Theekshana, as his stunner ensured an early wicket of Shubman Gill in the game.

Maheesh Theekshana04:21 PM, 23 September, 2025

India vs Sri Lanka, Preview | Super Four Match 6 will look to dominate after strong wins in the last round

Maheesh Theekshana04:44 PM, 22 September, 2025

Team Pakistan vs Team Sri Lanka, Preview | Super Four Match 3 will look to dominate after strong group stage

Maheesh Theekshana05:43 PM, 19 September, 2025

Team Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Preview | Match Will Look To Dominate After Record-Breaking Win In Last Game

Maheesh Theekshana03:08 PM, 15 September, 2025

Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong, Preview | Sri Lanka Aim To Bounce Back After Early Struggles

International career

Maheesh Theekshana was born on August 1, 2000. He plays cricket for Sri Lanka in all three formats. He started playing for the national team in September 2021. Many people consider him one of the best bowlers in limited-overs cricket. His bowling style looks like that of Ajantha Mendis, a former Sri Lankan spinner who also coached him at the Sri Lanka Army Sports Club. The ICC ranks him as the number one bowler in One Day Internationals.

He bowls spin at speeds over 100 km/h and can deliver yorkers, which is rare for a spinner and hard for batsmen to face. He also bats well in the lower order.

Besides cricket, Theekshana serves in the Sri Lanka Army. After basic training, he became a Private in the Gajaba Regiment and played for the Army cricket team. After the Asia Cup in 2022, he was promoted to Sergeant.

2021

• After strong performances in the SLC Invitational T20 league, he was selected for Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I squads against South Africa.
• Made his ODI debut on September 7, taking a wicket with his very first ball. He finished with 4 wickets for 37 runs and helped Sri Lanka win the series 2–1.
• Became the first Sri Lankan international cricketer born in the 21st century.
• Made his T20I debut on September 10 against South Africa.
• Selected for Sri Lanka’s squad in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and ended as the second highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka with 8 wickets.

2022

• In June, reached his career-best ranking as eighth in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings for bowlers.
• In July, added to Sri Lanka’s Test squad and made his Test debut on July 8 against Australia.
• In August, named in the squad for the 2022 Asia Cup.
• Played a key role in the spin bowling attack alongside Wanindu Hasaranga, helping Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup for the sixth time.
• Took 6 wickets in the tournament with an economy rate of 6.75, becoming a reliable wicket-taking option for captain Dasun Shanaka.

2024

• During the ICC T20 World Cup, struggled to take wickets and went wicketless in some matches.
• Took only one wicket in the tournament, against the Netherlands.
• Sri Lanka exited the tournament at the group stage.

Leagues Participation

Maheesh Theekshana has played in important T20 leagues around the world. He took part in the Lanka Premier League, the Indian Premier League, and the Caribbean Premier League. Recently, he also joined the SA20 league, which helped him grow as a spinner in franchise cricket.

Lanka Premier League

Maheesh Theekshana joined the Lanka Premier League in 2020 when he was picked by the Jaffna Stallions. At first, he was in the supplementary group and could not play, but after Thisara Perera recommended him, he moved up to the emerging group and joined the team. He played for the Jaffna Kings from 2020 to 2023 and was the top wicket-taker in the 2021 tournament. Since 2024, he has played for the Galle Marvels.

Year	Team	Notes
2020	Jaffna Stallions	Started in supplementary group; promoted to emerging after recommendation
2021	Jaffna Kings	Top wicket-taker in the 2021 Lanka Premier League
2022	Jaffna Kings	Signed for the third Lanka Premier League season
2023	Jaffna Kings	Continued with Jaffna Kings
2024	Galle Marvels	Joined the Galle Marvels team

Indian Premier League

Maheesh Theekshana was bought by Chennai Super Kings in February 2022 for the IPL season. He made his debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad and became the youngest bowler to take four wickets in an IPL match, breaking Rohit Sharma’s record at 21 years and 255 days old. He played an important role in the 2023 season when CSK won the title, though his fielding was sometimes weak.

In the 2024 IPL auction, Chennai Super Kings bought him again for 70 lakh rupees. He played his last match for CSK in May 2023 against Gujarat.

In 2025, Theekshana joined Rajasthan Royals after being bought at the IPL auction in Jeddah for 4.4 crore rupees.

Year	Team	Notes
2022	Chennai Super Kings	IPL debut; youngest to take four wickets in a match
2023	Chennai Super Kings	Played in a winning season; some weak fielding
2024	Chennai Super Kings	Bought for 70 lakh rupees; last match vs Gujarat
2025	Rajasthan Royals	Bought for 4.4 crore rupees in the IPL auction

Caribbean Premier League

In July 2022, Maheesh Theekshana was signed by the Trinbago Knight Riders for the Caribbean Premier League. He joined the team to play in the 2022 season.

Year	Team	Notes
2022	Trinbago Knight Riders	Played in the 2022 CPL season

SA20

Maheesh Theekshana played for the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 League in 2024. He continued to be part of the same team in the 2025 season as well.

Year	Team	Notes
2024	Joburg Super Kings	Played in the SA20 League
2025	Joburg Super Kings	Continued with the team

Domestic career

Maheesh Theekshana showed talent in school cricket and got a chance to try out at the National Cricket Academy. The coaches liked his bowling because of his control, accuracy, bounce, and different deliveries. His bowling style was like Ajantha Mendis's. Early on, Theekshana had problems with his weight and fitness. He once weighed over 100 kilograms and struggled to pass running and fitness tests. This kept him out of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup team.

He made his List A debut for Colts Cricket Club in March 2018 and his first-class debut in December 2018. After joining the Sri Lanka Army in 2020, he worked hard to get fit, lost a lot of weight, and improved his running times. This helped him continue his cricket career. He also trained with Ajantha Mendis while playing for the Army’s Under-23 team.

In 2021, Theekshana played for the SLC Blues in the Invitational T20 League. Later, he joined the Johannesburg Super Kings for the South African T20 League in 2023. He has played domestic first-class matches from 2018 to 2022, List A games from 2018 to 2025, and T20 matches from 2018 to 2025.

Records and achievements

Maheesh Theekshana has achieved many important records and awards in his cricket career. He has stood out in international games and domestic tournaments. Here are some of his key records and achievements by year:

• He was the first Sri Lankan to play international cricket born in the 21st century.
• He became the first Sri Lankan to take four wickets in his first ODI match.
• He shares the record for most consecutive four-wicket hauls in ODIs, with three in a row.
• At the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, he was the second-highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka with 8 wickets.
• In the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, he again took the second-most wickets for Sri Lanka, with 9.

By year:

• In 2020-2021, he won the Lanka Premier League with Jaffna Kings.
• In 2021, he was named in the ICC T20I "Best of the Month" team for September.
• In 2022, he won the Asia Cup and was promoted to Sergeant in the Sri Lanka Army.
• In 2023, he helped Chennai Super Kings win the Indian Premier League and played a key role for Sri Lanka in the ICC Men’s World Cup.
• In 2025, he reached the number one spot in the ICC ODI bowling rankings.

Personal life

Maheesh Theekshana was born on August 1, 2000, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He lived with his grandmother and started school at Siddhartha Vidyalaya in Sedawatta. Later, two former students helped him move to St. Benedict’s College to play cricket there. The school supported him with money at first and then gave him a scholarship. He showed his talent by winning the All-Island Best All-Rounder Award in his last year. He does not have a public record of a wife or children.

Family

He grew up with his grandmother. Some old students of St. Benedict’s helped him switch schools for cricket. The school paid for some of his expenses and gave him a scholarship. He gave back by winning a big cricket award in school. No information is available about his wife or kids.

Finance

In 2025, his net worth is about 1 million dollars, equal to around 7 crore rupees.

Scandals

When Chennai Super Kings bought him in the 2022 IPL auction, some fans protested on social media. They used hashtags like #Boycott_ChennaiSuperKings and #DontNormalizeTamilGenocide because he served in the Sri Lankan Army.

Fans

He has nearly 293,000 followers on Instagram.