Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have now faced a new confusion over the availability of Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season. There was already speculation since Pathirana was recovering from a calf injury that he suffered during the T20 World Cup 2026 and was subsequently ruled out of the ICC event.
However, a recent social media post from the pacer where he posted a photo of his rehabilitation, followed by another post from his manager Amila Kalugalage, where Pathirana could be seen wearing a KKR jersey, it was anticipated that he is close to joining. Now, it is understood that the pacer has recovered yet he is yet to arrive in India, while the Kolkata outfit have already kickstarted their pre-season camp.
Furthermore, KKR have been constantly booking flights and cancelling everyday because the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) haven’t given Matheesha Pathirana the clearance yet for IPL and is not willing to take any risk with one of the best pacers in the country.
Confirming the news, a KKR official privy to the development told Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika,
“There is no clear word yet on when Pathirana will join the camp. So we have to book his tickets and cancel them every day. We are in regular contact with him.”
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The KKR pace battery have already been depleted and if Pathirana does not turn up, it will worsen further. They have already released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman due to political reasons. India international Harshit Rana has also been ruled out of IPL 2026 after undergoing knee surgery.
The Knight Riders have signed Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement for Fizz and it remains to be seen who they rope in for Harshit.
As for Pathirana, the franchise will remain optimistic that even if he misses few games, he will be available at some point in the season.
Till then, Blessing will be a sure-starter in the pace department while Kolkata also have a good depth of fast bowlers to choose from in the likes of Akash Deep, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi.
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