IPL 2026: The entry of Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisa Pathirana in the KKR team has been confirmed.

New Delhi: The bad days of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2026 are about to end. KKR team captained by Ajinkya Rahane has not been able to win even a single match this season. Along with the poor performance of the players, injury has also been a major reason behind this. Due to injury, two big bowlers of the team were not available for the team, but now the entry of one of them has been confirmed. He is none other than Sri Lankan pacer Mathisa Pathirana.

KKR had bought Mathisa Pathirana in the mini auction for a huge sum of Rs 18 crore, but due to injury he could not play in the initial matches for the team. Along with Harshit Rana, the team was missing Pathirana a lot, but this will not happen now. Mathisha Pathirana is finally joining KKR late on Saturday night, which will boost the morale of the team. KKR is at the bottom in the IPL points table.

Pathirana was injured in the T20 World Cup

After recovering from a calf injury suffered during the T20 World Cup, Pathirana has passed the fitness test required by Sri Lanka Cricket and has also received a No Objection Letter (NOC). He is currently traveling and will join the team before the match against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. However, according to a team source, there is little possibility of him being included in the final eleven immediately as the team’s medical team will assess his match fitness during the first few training sessions.

Harshit Rana is out of the tournament due to injury

When the mini auction was held for IPL 2026, KKR team had the highest purse. KKR also bought some good players on the auction table, but unfortunately some could not play in the season due to injury and some unwanted reasons. Retained player and team’s main fast bowler Harshit was ruled out of the tournament due to injury, while Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman was released due to political reasons.