No Matheesha Pathirana today (Source: AFP)
Match 65 of the ongoing IPL 2026 witnesses Kolkata Knight Riders take on an already-eliminated Mumbai Indians at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
In their previous encounter in the season, Match 2, at the Wankhede Stadium, Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians won by 6 wickets. KKR set a strong total of 220/4, with captain Ajinkya Rahane leading the way with 67, followed by a 51 off 29 by Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
Nonetheless, MI chased down the target with 5 balls to spare thanks to explosive knocks from Ryan Rickelton’s 81 and Rahit Sharma’s 78.
However, for this match, the talking point has become the exclusion of KKR’s INR 18 Cr. recruit, Matheesha Pathirana.
Why is Matheesha Pathirana not playing KKR vs MI?
The ace pacer finally got into action for his IPL 2026 franchise in their previous fixture against Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, their joy was short-lived, as the pacer injured his left calf during the game.
For the unversed, Matheesha Pathirana had missed the initial phase of the tournament due to the same calf injury he had suffered in the T20 World Cup 2026 that concluded in March. In his maiden game for KKR, the pacer bowled only eight balls before walking off the ground due to injury.
Also read: "18 Crore For 8 Balls": KKR's Matheesha Pathirana Leaves Fans Frustrated After Injury On Debut
Once again, Pathirana has been dropped from KKR playing 11 against MI.
Thus, Pathirana’s injury, incurred against GT, is most likely the reason for his ouster today.
Here’s how the playing 11 looks like for both KKR and MI:
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey
Impact player substitution: Finn Allen, Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Tejasvi Singh
Mumbai Indians Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu Sharma
Impact player substitution: Allah Ghazanfar, Krish Bhagat, Shardul Thakur, Robin Minz, Mayank Rawat
Also read: KKR Looks To Spinners To Keep Playoffs' Hopes Alive Against Mumbai Indians
How can KKR qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs?
With their campaign hanging by a thread, Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR will have no option but to go all guns blazing against an already-eliminated Mumbai Indians.
However, a defeat will officially end KKR’s playoff hopes for the second successive season under Ajinkya Rahane after their disappointing eighth-place finish in 2025, a year after lifting the title under Shreyas Iyer.
Since registering their first win against Rajasthan Royals, KKR have looked like a transformed side.
On top of that, KKR have major injury concerns hanging over them, including Matheesha Pathirana and Varun Chakravarthy.
The Indian star spinner played the previous match despite a hairline fracture in his left leg, something that reportedly has not gone down well with the BCCI.
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