Matheesha Pathirana. (Photo Credits: X)
The Kolkata Knight Riders have received a massive boost as pacer Matheesha Pathirana has reportedly received his No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). The reports suggest that the Sri Lankan bowler is set to travel to Chennai and link up to the squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders have had a forgettable start to the IPL 2026 campaign. In four matches, the Knight Riders haven’t won a single match and only have one point under their belt as the match against Punjab Kings was washed out due to rain. The Knight Riders would look to make a comeback in the next match that they are slated to play against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday.
Pathirana might get into the Playing XI straight away as the KKR side has been facing a lot of issues in their bowling department.
The franchise showed strong faith in the pacer by signing him for a record ₹18 crore at the auction, highlighting how important he is to their plans. However, his availability was in doubt after he suffered a left-leg injury during the 2026 T20 World Cup, where he could bowl only four deliveries against Australia before leaving the field.
The pacer had earlier played for Chennai Super Kings, taking 47 wickets in 32 matches and playing a key role in their 2023 title-winning campaign. His experience and ability to perform under pressure could be very important for Kolkata Knight Riders, who have struggled with consistency in their bowling, especially due to injuries to key fast bowlers.
KKR’s issues are not limited to bowling. Captain Ajinkya Rahane has faced criticism for making frequent changes in the batting order, which has affected team stability.
Big signing Cameron Green has not performed as expected so far. However, young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi has been one of the few positives for the team this season.
Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Tim Seifert(w), Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik, Rahul Tripathi, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Rachin Ravindra, Blessing Muzarabani, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra, Sarthak Ranjan, Tejasvi Dahiya, Saurabh Dubey
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