The Kolkata Knight Riders are going through a major performance slump and the current IPL season has been nothing less than a nightmare for the three-time IPL winners. After going win-less in the tournament for four games, the side locked horns with the Gujarat Titans on Friday, hoping things would get better for them. However, nothing of that sort happened and the Gold and Purple brigade suffered a humiliating five-wicket loss, despite an impressive 79 run knock by Cameron Green.

Apart from a flop batting performance by the rest of the squad, KKR struggled badly with the ball and couldn’t pick wickets in key moments. In fact, senior players such as Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy have struggled to deliver consistently, hurting the squad in death overs and powerplay. In such moments, the team has desperately missed the services of their star bowler Matheesha Pathirana, whose presence could have made a significant difference for the side.

Notably, Pathirana has missed IPL 2026 action thus far due to a calf injury suffered during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. However, he recently got an NOC, and is highly likely to join the team soon. But, the question is When?

Matheesha Pathirana to join KKR this evening or by tomorrow morning- Sources

The Sri Lankan star is very close to rejoining the squad and per reports, the day is either going to be today or tomorrow. As per reports by Danushka Aravinda, Pathirana is likely to join the KKR squad by this evening or tomorrow morning. He is expected to arrive before the side’s next home match at Eden Gardens. Moreover, sources suggest that he could be available for selection against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 19. His return could boost KKR’s bowling strength in a big way.

Notably, in their recent game, KKR suffered a five-wicket loss against Shubman Gill’s GT, solidifying their position at the bottom of the standings. Skipper Rahane once again failed to deliver, getting out at zero. Apart from him, youngsters such as Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Tim Seifert also failed to contribute. Though Green came up with 79 runs, his knock couldn’t help the side much.