Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just a few days away as the franchises have their final round of training ahead of the mega event in India. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), one of the 10 franchises, hosted a press conference ahead of their first game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 29.
Ahead of the first game, head coach Abhishek Nair provided a big update on Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana, who was bought for a whopping Rs 18 crore during last year’s auction. Mathisha Pathirana has been injured since February 16, 2026, as he strained his hamstring during Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup group stage match against Australia.
KKR head coach Mathisha provides update on Pathirana
Since then Mathisha Pathirana has been undergoing rehab. His manager provided an update regarding his availability in IPL 2026. As per recent reports, he is fit but he needs an NOC from the National Cricket Board and a fitness certificate from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to participate in the league.
During the press conference, Abhishek Nair gave information about the premium fast bowler. He said the fast bowler will not be available for the opening matches for the three-time winners and will join the squad in mid-April.
they take care of him [Matheesha Pathirana] Rehab- Abhishek Nair
“He is with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board. They are taking care of his rehab. The latest communication we have got is that hopefully in mid-April he will be considered match fit. That’s what we know as of now. That’s the update we have got from the board. That’s what it looks like now,” Nair said.
“I think in any tournament with any team, once you lose some key bowling options, these are not things they plan for, but these are things they have to accept. The good thing about Indian cricket, especially at the moment, is that they have a lot of them.”
I think we will be fine- Abhishek Nair
“As the coach mentioned, they have a few guys that we are looking at who will definitely fill that spot. There are players like Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi. These guys are also players who have represented the national team at some point in time and have played in the IPL before. They are young and exciting talents,” he said.
Abhishek Nair concluded, “So, for me, personally, I am happy with Tim (Southee) to work with this group of fast bowlers. We have the best spin pair in the entire competition. So from a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine. Also, we can’t forget Vaibhav (Arora), who had a great season last year, he has also been the leader of the attack for a few seasons.”
KKR has players like Blessing Muzarabani, who is in good form in the T20 World Cup. 13 wickets taken for Zimbabwe. Therefore, KKR may miss Mathisha Pathirana in their death overs as they do not have any out and out death bowler after the dismissal of Rana and Pathirana.
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