File photo of Matheesha Pathirana.© IANS
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) continue to wait for pacer Matheesha Pathirana to join them for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He is set to miss the early stages of the tournament this year. The Sri Lankan fast bowler was bought by the three-time champions for Rs 18 crore at the auctions last year. Before this, Pathirana plied his trade for Chennai Super Kings. The fast bowler missed the 2026 T20 World Cup due to a calf strain and is currently undergoing rehabilitation under the supervision of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
While speaking at KKR’s pre-season press conference on Friday, head coach Abhishek Nayar shared an update regarding Pathirana. He revealed that the pacer is expected to be match-fit around mid-April.
“The latest update that we know is he’s obviously with the Sri Lankan cricket board and they took out his rehab. And the latest communication that we’ve had is, hopefully, somewhere mid-April is when they feel he’ll be match fit. That’s what we know as of now,” the KKR head coach said.
KKR are already dealing with injury issues. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are ruled out for the entire season due to their respective injuries. Nayar termed Harshit’s absence a “big blow”.
“Because Harshit has been an integral part of this team for the last couple of seasons, including the championship season. He’s grown a lot as a cricketer over the years, so it’s not easy to replace him. Having said that, over the last few days, we’ve looked at a few bowlers. We’re trying to evaluate, with the help of the leadership group, who fits in and who can do that role to the best of their prowess. We’re still evaluating that and haven’t made that decision yet, but hopefully we’ll identify someone soon who can make a difference to this squad,” the KKR head coach said.
KKR start their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium.
(With ANI inputs)