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Even before a ball had been bowled this season, it was expected that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would struggle on the bowling front.
Deepak Chahar was returning from a long-term injury. Sisanda Magala, who replaced Kyle Jamieson, had never played in the IPL, and Ben Stokes, acquired for a hefty sum at the auction, is not quite the T20 bowler that sends shivers down the opposition spine.
Matheesha Pathirana was a complete greenhorn and a bit of a wildcard, while their Indian fast-bowling contingent also lacked experience. The spin department, though, seemed like an aberration, for it comprised premier all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, and Maheesh Theekshana.
Apart from the Sri Lankan, each of the others had enjoyed numerous stints in the IPL and had largely held their own. But what set Theekshana apart was that he was a mystery spinner – a breed of spin that every team would give an arm and a leg for, especially in the IPL.
Unfortunately, for him and CSK, it hasn't quite transpired that way. In six matches, he has only picked up five wickets. That is not a bad tally, considering he has largely operated as a run-saving option, even when Sri Lanka have played T20I cricket. The economy rate, however, is the real worry.
At the time of writing, Theekshana has an economy rate of 8.42 in the IPL this season, which is significantly more than that of Jadeja and Santner.
Moeen has a higher economy rate but CSK have primarily used the England all-rounder as a partnership-breaker, picking up seven wickets as opposed to the Sri Lanka spinner’s six.
Theekshana has not been at his best in the powerplay for CSK
The other facet that has stuck out is how ineffective he has been in the powerplay. This season, he has bowled nine overs and has conceded 87 runs during the field restrictions. Batters have obviously come harder at him but an economy rate of 9.67 is still not befitting of a bowler of his caliber, especially considering his economy rate in this phase in all T20 cricket is 6.97.
Had this been one of the strong CSK teams of the past, MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming would have been content to hold Theekshana back and bowl him when the field is spread out. All of his wickets this season have come outside the powerplay.
This, though, is an inexperienced bowling line-up that has traveled in the first six overs, necessitating Theekshana’s introduction quite regularly. If he cannot keep the runs down either, CSK find themselves chasing the game from very early on.
In both home games they have lost this season, they have been pretty ordinary in the powerplay, conceding 57-1 (against the Rajasthan Royals) and 62-1 (against the Punjab Kings). Had Theekshana stemmed the run-flow in the powerplay, CSK might have been able to stifle the opposition better in the middle overs.
Of course, there are a lot of ifs and buts here, but that was primarily why he was brought on board, and explains how quickly he gained the trust of Dhoni.
Last season, when CSK played on flat decks in Maharashtra, many wondered about the damage Jadeja and Theekshana could do on more favorable pitches in Chennai. That has panned out on the odd occasion, but considering how important spin is to CSK, Theekshana needs to do a tad bit more.
One of the reasons why the Sri Lanka spinner has not been as miserly this season is that he has bowled fuller than he usually does. In the powerplay especially, that is an invitation for the batter to go over the top and subsequently increases the chances of more runs being scored.
In the middle overs, he has pulled that length back a touch and has exercised more control. Because that is also his natural length, maybe Theekshana could be better served going into the pitch and at the stumps more often, forcing the batters to take risks and play shots off their stumps.
CSK’s pacers, in this regard, might not have helped him as much because there has been a tendency on their part to leak runs early, meaning that whenever CSK introduce Theekshana, they are already under pressure and he feels the urge to take wickets – hence, the fuller lengths.
But this is exactly why Theekshana was procured in the first place. It was not to be just another bowler who would blow hot and cold. It was to make a difference every time he played. In simpler words, he has to be the bowler CSK need him to be.
There have been glimpses of it this season too, make no mistake about it, and the moment he starts finding the right lengths, he could be quite a handful, irrespective of whether the four-time champions are playing at home or on the road.
The way he has fared in international cricket suggests that that turnaround might come eventually. But having lost their last two games, time is not exactly a luxury. Not for Theekshana, and most certainly not for CSK.
