Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered a big blow ahead of IPL 2026 as Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana is set to be available only from mid-April. KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar confirmed the development on Friday. \
Matheesha Pathirana had sustained a calf strain during Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup group stage match against Australia in February. He was ruled out of the rest of the tournament, and has been out of action ever since.
“The latest update is that he is with the Sri Lankan cricket board for his rehab,” Abhishek said at a pre-season press conference. “Somewhere mid-April is when they feel he’ll be match fit,” he added.
KKR’s growing injury concerns
The three-time champions have already suffered a setback ahead of IPL 2026 as far as their pace bowling attack is concerned.
Harshit Rana sustained a knee injury during India’s T20 World Cup warm-up match against South Africa in February. He has been out of competitive action ever since.
“Firstly, it is a big blow, because Harshit has been an integral part of this team for the last couple of seasons, including the championship season. He has grown a lot as a cricketer over the years, so it’s not easy to replace him,” said Nayar.
“Having said that, over the last few days, we have looked at a few bowlers. We’re trying to evaluate, with the help of the leadership group, who fits in and who can do that role to the best of their prowess.
“We haven’t made the decision yet, but hopefully we will identify someone soon who can make a difference to this squad,” he added.
The 24-year-old speedster has played for Kolkata Knight Riders throughout his four-year IPL career so far, and has taken 40 wickets from 34 matches. He took 19 wickets from 13 matches in KKR’s title-winning season in IPL 2024, ending as the team’s second-highest wicket-taker.
KKR had also signed Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman at the IPL 2026 mini-auction in December. However, he was soon released from the squad amid political tensions between India and Bangladesh. KKR eventually signed Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani as replacement for Mustafizur.
Dwayne Bravo optimistic despite setbacks
Despite these setbacks, KKR mentor Dwayne Brave is optimistic of making it up with an in-depth pace bowling attack.
“In any tournament with any team, once you lose some of the key bowling options, there are things you plan for, but also things you have to accept,” he said.
“So there are some guys that we are definitely looking at to fill the spot – the likes of Umran Malik. These guys are also players who have represented the national team at some point in time and have also played in the IPL before. They are young, exciting talents. So, for me personally, I’m happy to work with this group of fast bowlers.”
He also noted that KKR have a strong spin bowling attack, which includes the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. He also mentioned pacer Vaibhav Arora, who played a key role in KKR’s title-winning campaign in IPL 2024.
“We have the best spin attack in the entire competition, so from a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine. Also, I can’t forget Vaibhav – what a fantastic season last year.
“He has been the leader of the attack over the last two seasons as well. So, yes, we’ve lost some key players, but I feel comfortable [knowing that] we have what it takes to replace those guys,” added the former West Indies cricketer.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led side will get their IPL 2026 campaign underway with a match against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mumbai on 30 March.
