Matheesha Pathirana, the Kolkata Knight Riders speedster, has been given NOC by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board as he has cleared all the mandatory fitness tests. He is likely to join the Kolkata Knight Riders camp on April 17, but he will be available for the matches once he is declared fit by the KKR medical team. His debut for KKR will most likely come against the Rajasthan Royals on April 19 at the Eden Gardens, per reports from ESPNCricinfo.
The inclusion of a new pacer to their existing pace attack will come as a huge boost for their side. They have struggled at times with the ball, and they needed some variety with the ball. The timely addition of Matheesha Pathirana could be the final piece of the jigsaw as KKR try to win their first game of the season.
Struggling KKR eye turnaround as Pathirana’s return boosts pace attack and hopes
The Kolkata Knight Riders have been off to a disappointing start in the season as they haven’t been able to tick all the boxes. They do have some fine talent in their setup, but they are simply not able to perform to their standard. Their skipper, Ajinkya Rahane, has been one of their best batters of the season along with Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Finn Allen’s talent is quite extraordinary, but consistency will be one factor that keeps him apart from all other openers in the tournament.
Rinku Singh has been KKR’s hero on plenty of occasions in the past, but in this season, he hasn’t been able to get runs and is struggling to get a move on. Cameron Green is another player that they had high expectations for, but he hasn’t been great in the first few games. Rovman Powell is a fine power-hitter that could solve a lot of the problems that the lower order faces, but they still lack depth in their batting.
Matheesha Pathirana had played for the Chennai Super Kings in the previous season, and he had a decent outing. Despite being expensive, he was able to pick 13 wickets from 12 innings and averaged over 32. The 2025 IPL season was his worst season by far, but the Kolkata Knight Riders decided to show faith in him. He was picked by KKR for INR 18 Crore in the IPL 2026 auction. With the growing woes in KKR’s pace bowling unit, Pathirana could be the man who puts them out of their misery. He will be looking for a fine season in the IPL as he couldn’t perform well last time out, and with the X factor he brings into the side, KKR could pose a threat.
The Kolkata Knight Riders are expecting the return of the Sri Lankan pacer on April 19 against the table toppers, Rajasthan Royals. With the Kolkata Knight Riders in desperate need of a turnaround, Matheesha Pathirana could help them in their cause with a few match-winning spells.
