Matheesha Pathirana (Source: AFP)
In a significant development, Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana has finally received the NOC from the SLC to join Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL 2026.
This is an encouraging update for the Knight Riders, considering how they have fared with regard to their bowling assets in the competition so far.
Matheesha Pathirana was purchased by KKR for a whopping price of INR 18 crores. However, his persistent fitness issues prevented Pathirana from joining the team for the IPL 2026 season.
Matheesha Pathirana to join KKR IPL 2026 squad in Chennai
Led by Ajinkya Rahane, KKR have had a horrible IPL 2026 campaign so far. The three-time champions have lost three matches, reeling at the bottom of the points table.
In their previous encounter, the Knight Riders were pipped by Lucknow Super Giants, with young batter Mukul Choudhary playing a match-winning knock down the order.
As Ajinkya Rahane and his men search for their maiden win of the season, the Matheesha Pathirana injury update comes as a massive sigh of relief for them.
The Knight Riders will play their next game against CSK at the iconic M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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As reported by Subhayan Chakraborty from RevSportz, Matheesha Pathirana has received the NOC from the SLC and will join the KKR IPL 2026 squad ahead of the mega clash against CSK.
However, a report from ESPNCricinfo has claimed that the Sri Lankan pacer will arrive at the KKR camp on April 17 and might play their seventh group-stage match against Rajasthan Royals.
Why did Matheesha Pathirana miss first four matches for KKR?
Despite being a talented prospect, Matheesha Pathirana has missed plenty of cricket due to fitness issues. The right-arm pacer, who has a unique bowling action, sustained a nasty calf strain during Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup match against Australia.
As a result, he was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. He was supposed to spearhead the Sri Lankan attack in the middle and death overs. Therefore, the Lankans felt his absence in the tournament and eventually crashed out of the T20 World Cup.
After missing some crucial matches in the T20 World Cup, Pathirana began his rehabilitation in order to get fit for the IPL. However, he failed to clear the fitness tests and hence didn't receive a green signal from the Lankan board to feature in the tournament.
His long-time colleague Wanindu Hasaranga skipped the fitness test and was eventually replaced by George Linde in the LSG IPL 2026 squad. Meanwhile, Nuwan Thushara dragged the SLC to court for not issuing him an NOC to represent RCB in the IPL.
How can Matheesha Pathirana's comeback boost KKR?
While their batting unit has blown hot and cold, KKR have definitely been the victims of an out-of-form bowling attack in this year's IPL. The likes of Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi have performed in patches, while Varun Chakaravarthy has been a pale shadow of his previous self.
Despite being economical, Sunil Narine has struggled to pick wickets, with Navdeep Saini leaking runs across phases.
Therefore, Matheesha Pathirana's rejoining will certainly strengthen the Knight Riders' bowling attack for the mega event. Having said that, it will be interesting to see how he fares right after recovering from a long injury layoff.
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