&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Big boost for KKR as Matheesha Pathirana declared fit ahead of IPL 2026")
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) received a timely boost on Thursday (Mar 20) as Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed that their key fast bowler, Matheesha Pathirana, is fully fit and ready for the IPL 2026. Amid speculation over his availability, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Bandula Dissanayake stated that Pathirana has completed his recovery and has been cleared to participate in the tournament.
“As far as I know, he’s fit and we have given him NOC to participate in the IPL, that’s all I know at this point of time," Dissanayake was quoted as saying.
“He has completed rehab and he is fit. But the franchise will be tasked to assess his readiness. At the moment we don’t know anything about that. As far as we know he is fit and ready to join IPL."
However, it is still not clear when Pathirana will join the KKR squad. The team will leave for Mumbai on Mar 25 and play their first match against Mumbai Indians on Mar 29. After that, they will play three home games at Eden Gardens against Sunrisers Hyderabad (Apr 2), Punjab Kings (Apr 6) and Lucknow Super Giants (Apr 9).
Pathirana, bought by KKR for INR 18 crore, had been recovering from a calf injury sustained during Sri Lanka’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 match against Australia. He subsequently missed the remainder of the tournament, as the co-hosts were eliminated in the Super 8 stage.
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Nicknamed “Baby Malinga,” Pathirana emerged as a T20 specialist while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Since his debut in 2022, he has featured in 32 matches for the team, claiming 47 wickets.
However, his 2025 season was not very successful, as he managed only 13 wickets in 12 matches, at an economy rate of 10.14 and bowling average of 32.62.
KKR’s pace attack has faced challenges ahead of the upcoming season, as their main pacer Harshit Rana is recovering from a ligament injury in his right knee and is likely to miss the tournament. Earlier this year, Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released due to a BCCI rule and the team brought in Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement.
