IPL 2026: Pathirana back in the nets! But is the KKR pacer ready for PBKS clash?

In a significant development surrounding the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), their frontline overseas seamer, Matheesha Pathirana, has resumed bowling, suggesting an early return to action for the franchise in IPL 2026. Out with a hamstring injury midway through the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Pathirana hasn’t played any cricket since. Having recovered and returned to bowling in the nets, Pathirana’s return has boosted KKR’s morale, who are yet to open their account in this edition. But despite making progress, he remains unavailable for selection for the Monday home game against the Punjab Kings.

KKR bought the T20 specialist for a whopping INR 18 crore at last year’s auction, and were pinning their hopes on him playing all matches in IPL 2026. However, an untimely injury during the T20 World Cup ruled him out for an indefinite period, keeping all KKR fans wondering about his comeback.

While Pathirana has cleared the initial stages of rehab and returned to light bowling, he has yet to undergo the final Physical Performance Test required for an SLC NOC. His return would boost the team, which sits in ninth place with two losses in as many contested matches.

Besides Pathirana, KKR is also without its Indian ace seamer Harshit Rana, who was ruled out of the tournament. Rana suffered a ligament strain in his right knee during India's T20 World Cup warm-up game against South Africa.

KKR eyes win against PBKS at Eden

The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the marquee tie between KKR and PBKS on Monday evening. Considering the recent history between the two teams and how their previous matches have unfolded, it promises to be a blockbuster game.

While Ajinkya Rahane’s KKR lingers at the bottom of the points table after two successive defeats (against Mumbai Indians and SunRisers Hyderabad), Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS sits in fourth place with two wins thus far. Even though the travelling Punjab side holds an edge over the underwhelming hosts, KKR could upset the last season’s runners-up with a win this time.

As Pathirana remains absent for this clash, let’s check out KKR’s predicted playing XI for the Punjab home game.

Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani and Vaibhav Arora