Pathirana walks out of the field [Source: AFP]The IPL 2026 is just 1.5 months away, and ahead of the marquee event, the KKR side has suffered an injury-jolt as their key overseas signing, Matheesha Pathirana got injured in the T20 World Cup match against Australia and hobbled off the field as both Sri Lanka and his IPL franchise sweat hard.The unfortunate event occurred during the 3rd over of the Australian batting when Pathirana delivered the fourth ball of the over, and he immediately clutched his left hamstring as the Sri Lankan bowler went down in pain. The team physio came out immediately and after a bit of stretching, it was decided that no risk would be taken and the pacer was taken off the field.Injury scare for Pathirana as KKR sweat hard before IPL 2026If Pathirana has suffered a long-term injury, KKR will be without their two main overseas bowlers. Mustafizur Rahman has already been released by the franchise due to the geopolitical tension between India and Bangladesh, and now the Pathirana injury could be trouble-calling for the IPL franchise.The right-arm pacer is an injury-prone prospect, but with Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup Super 8 place on the line, the Lankan Lions needed him to step up against the Australian side, just four balls into his spell, the pacer was sidelined as he walked off the field.This is Sri Lanka’s second major injury in the squad. Star all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga was also ruled out of the tournament with the same injury (hamstring).This injury has made KKR’s life difficult as the team doesn’t have any front-line overseas pacer if Pathirana gets ruled out for a longer duration.How the injury affects KKR in upcoming IPLKKR has a plethora of Indian pacers in its ranks, but they only had two overseas bowlers in Mustafizur and Pathirana. On paper, the inclusion of the two star fast bowlers strengthened KKR’s team for the next IPL season, but the reality is now different.KKR roped in Fizz, but the IPL was pressurised to release the player, and even before a single ball was delivered, the Bangladesh player was removed from the league. Without him, Pathirana was their only foreign seamer, and now he, too, has suffered an injury, and this could potentially disrupt KKR’s IPL plans.Why Pathirana will be severely missed by Sri Lanka as wellSri Lanka has a plethora of quality spin-bowling options in their arsenal, but they lacks a genuine wicket-taker in the pace department. Pathirana was their best bet in the ongoing T20 World Cup, but even he, too, walked off the field.He can deliver for Sri Lanka in two main phases (middle-overs and death), and Pathirana is one of the best death bowlers in the world. His absence was quickly felt by the Lankan Lions against Australia as the team failed to get a single breakthrough in the first 10 overs, and the other bowlers became an easy target in the absence of Pathirana.
