The Sri Lankan speedster limped off the field in their fixture against Australia in T20 World Cup 2026.
As far as the T20 World Cup 2026 is concerned, Sri Lanka are exactly where they would have wanted themselves to be. The hosts have won three of the four matches in the group stage, and sit second on the points table in their respective group. However, will Matheesha Pathirana be fit for IPL 2026 remains to be a point of concern for his new franchise.
The Sri Lankan pacer had to walk off the field in the middle of their recent T20 World Cup fixture against Australia, soon after bowling the first four deliveries of his opening over. Though Sri Lanka are in a great position in the tournament, they will need the services of Matheesha Pathirana in the Super 8s stages, as the competition will get tougher.
However, the Sri Lankan management will not be the only ones having a close eye on the speedster. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquired the services of Pathirana for a whopping INR 18 Crore for IPL 2026, and will want a fit Pathirana ahead of the season. That being said, the extent of his injury will be known as in days to come.
“Matheesha Pathirana experienced discomfort in his left leg calf while bowling during the match and was unable to continue. He will not bowl further in this game. A scan will be conducted tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury,” reported a team statement.
This article was last updated on February 20, 2026.
The only question in the minds of the KKR management would be – Will Matheesha Pathirana be fit for IPL 2026? Though they have acquired the services of some good fast bowlers in their arsenal, Matheesha Pathirana’s absence will certainly be felt.
The three-time IPL champions invested INR 18 Crore for the 23-year-old, who has already made a name for himself in the shortest format. After being released by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) post the 2025 season, Pathirana was added to the KKR arsenal in the IPL 2026 auction.
In a recent update, the Lankans are waiting for the scans of the speedster, but they suspect that Pathirana will be out of contention for a minimum of three weeks. It would be safe to say that the Sri Lankans will have to name a replacement for him for the remainder of the T20 World Cup 2026.
As per recent reports, the 23-year-old Sri Lankan pacer will not miss the entire IPL 2026 season, but can be a delayed started for the Knight Riders. But since he is one of their premier strike bowlers, the KKR captain and team management will have to be ready with options for Pathirana.
Having represented CSK for four seasons, Pathirana’s economy has been a tad-bit higher, as compared to other bowlers – which has been his de-merit on most occasions. Though he has the potential to nail pin-point yorkers to rattle the batter, his economy in IPL 2026 was 10.13, which is too high.
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If Matheesha Pathirana’s return to the field is going to be delayed, the Knight Riders might face a scare in the beginning games of the IPL 2026 season. This is because, Harshit Rana, who is another one of their prime speedster has also undergone a knee surgery recently, and will be going through rehabilitation to make a comeback.
The other pacers in the group include Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Akash Deep and Kartik Tyagi along with Ramandeep Singh, who can roll his arm over. Though the franchise can make 11 players stand on the field with enough quality, Harshit Rana and Pathirana are big shoes to fill, given their skillsets.
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