Kolkata Knight Riders have received a timely boost ahead of IPL 2026, with Matheesha Pathirana declared fit by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
SLC secretary Bandula Dissanayake confirmed that the pacer has completed his rehabilitation after suffering a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Australia national cricket team, which ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament.
“As far as I know, he’s fit, and we have given him NOC to participate in the IPL, that’s all I know at this point in time. He has completed rehab, and he is fit. But the franchise will be tasked to assess his readiness. At the moment, we don’t know anything about that. As far as we know, he is fit and ready to join IPL,” Dissanayake told PTI.
Despite the clearance, KKR will take the final call on his inclusion after assessing his readiness.
There is no confirmation yet on when Pathirana will join the squad. The team is scheduled to travel to Mumbai on March 25 for their opening match against the Mumbai Indians on March 29. They will then return to Eden Gardens for three consecutive home games against Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 2), Punjab Kings (April 6), and Lucknow Super Giants (April 9).
KKR signed Pathirana for ₹18 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction as part of a squad rebuild after finishing eighth last season.
Since making his debut in 2022 with the Chennai Super Kings, Pathirana has played 32 matches and taken 47 wickets. However, he had a modest last season, picking up 13 wickets in 12 matches with a high economy rate.
