Matheesha Pathirana has obtained the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board to travel to India and represent Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. With this development, the entry of Matheesha Pathirana in KKR 2026 squad is now confirmed. The Knight Riders shelled out a whopping INR 18 crore to secure the services for Pathirana in the IPL 2026 auction. Previously, he has represented Chennai Super Kings in the cash-rich league. Let’s take a look at how Pathirana’s arrival can impact KKR match results in the remaining part of the tournament.
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Why Matheesha Pathirana Couldn’t Join KKR 2026 Squad?
Matheesha Pathirana sustained a calf strain while bowling during Sri Lanka’s 2026 T20 World Cup fixture against Australia in February. He immediately received help from the physiotherapist, but went off the field with the help from the support staff. After Pathirana underwent the scans, he was declared unfit to continue playing in the tournament. As a result, Dilshan Madushanka was announced as his replacement. Since then, the right-arm pacer has yet to play a competitive game, and is out of match practice. He is understood to have started bowling in the nets since the last two weeks while recovering from the injury.
🚨 GREAT NEWS FOR KKR. 🚨
– Matheesha Pathirana has received his NOC, he’s set to join KKR soon. (Revsportz). pic.twitter.com/a1amkYZP44
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 12, 2026
SLC has made it mandatory for the players under central contracts to pass fitness tests in order to participate in the franchise leagues. Several other players such as Dushmantha Chameera, Pathum Nissanka (both Delhi Capitals), Eshan Malinga and Kamindu Mendis (both Sunrisers Hyderabad) cleared the hurdles to play in the IPL.
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According to ESPNcricinfo, Matheesha Pathirana has almost recovered from the injury and is likely to join the KKR 2026 squad on April 17. He is not expected to be a part of the XI for KKR’s game against Rajasthan Royals on April 19. However, the team management will have sufficient time for him to play in the next game against Lucknow Super Giants on April 26.
KKR Match Results Paint a Gloomy Picture
Ahead of the joining of Matheesha Pathirana in KKR squad, the franchise is on a losing run. They are positioned last in the points table with losses in four out of five games, with a solitary game ending in a washout. The performances and luck have not gone in their favor, which has hurt the team’s chances of opening their account and getting the confidence back in the setup.
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The most dominating defeat among KKR match results was their fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side conceded 226 and lost by 65 runs, which impacted their net run rate. In their last appearance against the Lucknow Super Giants, KKR was expected to seal their first victory of the season. The collective batting effort, led by Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 45, propelled them to a challenging 181-run total.
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Although, the Knight Riders bowled well in the first 15 overs and the game looked done and dusted. However, youngster Mukul Choudhary stunned the KKR outfit, as he smashed a fifty to win the game in the last ball for the Super Giants in a thrilling fashion. With no victory in the first five games, the next few games are very important for the Knight Riders, as they hope to remain alive in the race to the IPL 2026 playoffs.
How Matheesha Pathirana’s Arrival Can Be a Turning Point for KKR?
Without the services of Harshit Rana and Akash Deep for the whole season, and Varun Chakravarthy sustaining a finger injury, the KKR 2026 squad are in serious trouble. The bowlers are consistently leaking runs, and there is a lack of wicket-taking options for skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
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After the joining of Matheesha Pathirana in KKR, Rahane will have an experienced death-bowling option. He has found success with the Chennai Super Kings in the last four seasons, picking 47 wickets in 32 games. With 19 wickets, he played a key role in CSK’s title victory in the 2023 edition. The right-arm pacer can nail perfect yorkers in consistent fashion to choke the batters in the death overs, resulting in the franchise restricting the opposition to lower totals. His slower bouncers could also be crucial to deceive the batters on big grounds, where they might fail to clear the fences.
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However, Pathirana might have to check on his accuracy in his wide yorkers, which could result in an extra ball or result in a full toss for the batters. If he is able to be perfect in his execution, KKR are guaranteed to secure some wins due to him.
