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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are unlikely to make any trade involving Mathisha Pathirana before the next IPL season. However, the Kolkata franchise is expected to release the Sri Lankan pacer ahead of the auction as his high salary and frequent fitness issues have limited his availability throughout the campaign.
The Knight Riders faced another disappointing season in 2026, missing the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five editions. Although they remained in the competition with strong performances in the second half of the tournament, inconsistent performances and off-field failures ended their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
KKR unlikely to trade Mathisha Pathirana before next IPL season
Senior RevSportz assistant editor Subhayan Chakraborty claimed that Kolkata Knight Riders are not considering Mathisha Pathirana in any player trade ahead of the next IPL season. Chakraborty wrote, “Pathirana is not a no-trade option for KKR. Most likely he will be released.”
Pathirana is not an option for any trade for KKR. Most likely he will be released. https://t.co/iL2Oehsw6e
– Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) June 27, 2026
KKR’s decision is believed to be influenced by Pathirana’s repeated fitness concerns and his price tag of ₹18 crore. The franchise built a strong spin-based bowling attack during IPL 2026, reducing reliance on the Sri Lankan pace bowler.
Pathirana missed most of the first half of the tournament while recovering from an injury sustained during the 2026 T20 World Cup. He also had to wait for a no-objection certificate from Sri Lanka Cricket before becoming available, forcing KKR to alter their plans at the start of the season.
How Mathisha Pathirana’s injury hurt KKR’s IPL 2026 campaign
By the time Mathiesha Pathirana became fully available, KKR had lost valuable ground in the tournament. The fast bowler made his much-awaited debut against Gujarat Titans (GT) but suffered a hamstring injury during his opening spell.
Pathirana bowled only 1.2 overs and conceded nine runs before leaving the field due to injury. KKR had hoped that the Sri Lankan fast bowler would lead the pace attack, but his setback forced the team to reshuffle its bowling plans once again.
The inexperienced pace attack, consisting of uncapped Indian fast bowlers Vaibhav Arora, Saurabh Dubey and Karthik Tyagi, along with the replacement of Blessing Muzarabani, struggled to contain the opposition batsmen, especially during the powerplay.
KKR made a good recovery in the second half of the season and won six of their last seven matches. However, the poor start proved costly. The franchise had to wait until April 19 for its first win and ultimately missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five IPL seasons.
How injuries and off-field setbacks hampered KKR’s IPL 2026 campaign
Kolkata Knight Riders faced a tough preparation for IPL 2026 after several setbacks disrupted their plans. The Board of Control for Cricket in India directed the franchise to release Mustafizur Rahman despite signing him for ₹9.20 crore, forcing KKR to rethink their bowling combination ahead of the season.
Mathisha Pathirana, Harshit Rana and Akash Deep continued to struggle with injuries. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep were ruled out for the entire season, while Pathirana missed the initial stages as he recovered from an injury sustained during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
All-rounder Cameron Green was not available to bowl at the start of the season due to workload restrictions imposed by Cricket Australia. With many first-choice pace options unavailable, the franchise relied heavily on its spin attack throughout the campaign.
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