Maheesh Theekshana is a Sri Lankan cricketer who plays for the team Sri Lanka. Maheesh Theekshana was born on Aug 01, 2000; and as of 2023, he is 23 years old. Maheesh Theekshana is a bowler from Colombo and bowls off-spin. In his Test career to date, Maheesh Theekshana has played 2 matches to date in his Test career and he took 5 wickets, with an average of 37.60, conceding nearly 3.09 runs per over with a best individual figure of 2 for 28. Maheesh Theekshana’s ODI career has played 35 matches to date in his ODI career and he took 50 wickets, with an average of 28.28, conceding nearly 4.71 runs per over with a best individual figure of 4 for 25. Maheesh Theekshana has played 38 matches to date in his T20 career and he took 34 wickets, with an average of 28.65, conceding nearly 6.66 runs per over with a best individual figure of 3 for 17. He holds the 14th position in the ICC ODI bowling rankings with a total of 611 points. Maheesh Theekshana is ranked 5th position in the ICC T20 bowling rankings with a total of 677 points.
Maheesh Theekshana Biography
| Full name | Morawakage Maheesh Theekshana |
| Nick Name | Zoysa |
| Date of Birth/DOB/ age | Aug 01, 2000 (23 years) |
| Birth Place | Sedawatta, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Leo |
| Profession | Cricketer (Bowler) |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Cricket Role | Bowler |
| Father name | |
| Mother name | |
| Married | Unmarried |
| Spouse or Girlfriend | He was in an alleged relationship with a girl in September 2022. Arthika Yonali (As of November 2023) |
| Children | |
| Education Qualification | St. Benedict’s College, Colombo |
| Religion | |
| Current Residence | Sedawatta, Colombo |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Right arm Offbreak |
| International Debut | ODI– On 7 September 2021 against South Africa Test– On 8 July 2022 against Australia T20– On 10 September 2021 against South Africa |
| Teams | Jaffna Stallions, Northern Warriors, Sri Lanka, Jaffna Kings, Chennai Super Kings, Trinbago Knight Riders, Joburg Super Kings, The Chennai Braves, Morrisville Samp Army, Rangpur Riders, Cape Town Samp Army, Barbados Royals |
Maheesh Theekshana Physical Statistics
| Height | in centimeters– 183 cm in meters– 1.83 m in feet & inches– 6’ 0” |
| Weight | in kilograms– 85 kg in pounds– 187 lbs |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
Maheesh Theekshana Profile
Someone who can rattle opposition batters with his mystery spin, Maheesh Theekshana has been a great find for Sri Lanka. He made his ODI debut against South Africa in 2021 and picked 4 wickets in the match. It was a fantastic ODI debut for the mystery spinner as Sri Lanka won by 78 runs. In the Qualifiers for World Cup 2023, Theekshana played a crucial role as the spinner claimed 21 wickets and he was one of the reasons for Sri Lanka’s success in the tournament. Apart from ODIs, Theekshana also has an impressive record in the T20 format. He bowls in the powerplay and often has the ability to bowl crucial spells. If Sri Lanka are to challenge teams and come out on top in World Cup 2023, Theekshana needs to play a pivotal role in doing so. He has the experience of playing in Indian conditions being a part of Chennai Super Kings, hence it will be interesting to see his performance in the tournament.
Maheesh Theekshana Career Stats
Bowling
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 2 | 4 | 365 | 188 | 5 | 2/28 | 3/76 | 37.60 | 3.09 | 73.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 35 | 35 | 1803 | 1414 | 50 | 4/25 | 4/25 | 28.28 | 4.70 | 36.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| T20Is | 38 | 38 | 877 | 974 | 34 | 3/17 | 3/17 | 28.64 | 6.66 | 25.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FC | 5 | 7 | 779 | 422 | 13 | 5/76 | 5/76 | 32.46 | 3.25 | 59.9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| List A | 56 | 56 | 2755 | 2038 | 76 | 4/25 | 4/25 | 26.81 | 4.43 | 36.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 124 | 123 | 2815 | 3113 | 127 | 4/25 | 4/25 | 24.51 | 6.63 | 22.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Batting & Fielding
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 2 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 38 | 19.66 | 149 | 39.59 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ODIs | 35 | 20 | 8 | 220 | 38* | 18.33 | 397 | 55.41 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| T20Is | 38 | 16 | 7 | 34 | 11* | 3.77 | 48 | 70.83 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| FC | 5 | 8 | 0 | 131 | 38 | 16.37 | 280 | 46.78 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| List A | 56 | 32 | 11 | 272 | 38* | 12.95 | 504 | 53.96 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| T20s | 124 | 37 | 18 | 108 | 15 | 5.68 | 148 | 72.97 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 0 |
Maheesh Theekshana IPL Auction Price History
| Year | Price | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 70 Lakhs | Chennai |
| 2023 | 70 Lakhs | Chennai |
| 2024 | 70 Lakhs | Chennai |
Maheesh Theekshana’s Social Media Accounts
| Maheesh Theekshana (@maheesh_theekshana) | |
| Maheesh Theekshana (@maheesht61) | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | |
| Wikipedia | Maheesh Theekshana |
Some Lesser-Known Facts About Maheesh Theekshana
- Maheesh Theekshana is a Sri Lankan who is regarded as a mystery spinner by cricket pundits. He has given many wonderful performances in IPL. On his debut in international cricket, he became the first Sri Lankan cricketer who was born in the millennium, starting from 2000.
- He joined Asoka de Silva School of Cricket in 2010 where he learnt the basics of cricket. Shanthilal Silva and Vivian Saverymuthapulle, two boys from St. Benedict’s College, Colombo convinced his grandmother to move and get him enrolled at St. Benedict’s College in Kotahena following which he started playing school-level tournaments.
- He made his T20 debut for the Colts Cricket Club on 1 March 2018 in the 2017-18 SLC Twenty-20 Tournament. He made his List A (one-day) and first-class debut for the same team on 14 March 2018 in the 2017-18 Premier Limited Overs Tournament and 7 December 2018 in the 2018–19 Premier League Tournament respectively.
- Theekshana learnt the variations of spin bowling when he played for the Sri Lankan Army Under-23 team while training under Ajantha Mendis and played in the 2020 Army Commander’s Cup.
- In 2017, he underwent trials at the National Cricket Academy at R. Premadasa Stadium; however, he failed the fitness tests due to weighing around 105 kg; he ran 2 km in 10.1 minutes, and his skinfold score was 140 which lies between 91-100 for average people and 81-100 for athletes.
- The director of the academy, Simon Willis, was impressed with Theekshana’s bowling; however, due to his fitness concerns, he could not make it to the Sri Lanka Under-19 team for the 2018 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. This incident forced Theekshana to undergo a significant weight loss transformation.
- In 2020, Theekshana joined the Sri Lankan Army and worked hard on his fitness to such an extent that he lowered his weight by 22 kgs and improved his YOYO test score from 19.2 to 16.1; he also reduced his 2 km sprint timing from 10.1 to 8.28 seconds and his skinfold score to almost half of 140.
- He started his ODI career against South Africa by taking a wicket on his first ODI delivery and ended the match with 4 wickets for 37 runs. In a match against Zimbabwe in the 2023 ODI World Cup Qualifiers, he took 4 wickets for 25 runs.
- During the 2022 Asia Cup, he took 6 wickets for 162 runs and helped Sri Lanka to become winners of the tournament. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, he emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka with 8 wickets in 7 matches.
- In 2020, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) put him in the supplementary category which made him ineligible to participate in the auction for the first season of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Former Sri Lankan captain Thisara Perera requested Jaffna Stallions to include him in the team as he was impressed with Theekshana’s bowling. Acting upon the request of the management of Jaffna Stallions, SLC placed him in the Emerging category, and Stallions acquired him for $10,000.
- In the 2021 LPL season, Theekshana emerged as the highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets for the Jaffna Kings. In the 2022 LPL season, Jaffna Kings acquired him for ($ 40,000; approx LKR 14 million) in the Diamond A group and represented them in the 2023 season as well.
- He represented Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, Johannesburg Super Kings in the first South Africa T20 League (SA20) season in 2023, Rangpur Riders in the 2023 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) season, and Samp Army in the 2022 Abu Dhabi T10 season.
- He joined the Sri Lankan Army in 2020, and after finishing his training, he was posted as a Private in the Gajaba Regiment. After Sri Lanka won the 2022 Asia Cup, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 20 September 2022.
- Theekshana was bought off in the 2022 IPL auction by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 70 lakhs against the base price of Rs 50 lakhs. He took 12 wickets and 11 wickets in the 2022 and 2023 seasons of IPL respectively.
