On Tuesday, December 16, 22-year-old fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana of Sri Lanka National Cricket Team got a new contract in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Mathiesha Pathirana, who had his base price set at Rs 2 crore, was sold by KKR for Rs 18 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
CSK releases Mathisha Pathirana ahead of IPL 2026 auction
Pathirana, the Sri Lankan fast bowler with excellent bowling action, made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 wearing the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) jersey.
He played only two matches in his first season, but shone in the next season, playing 12 games and taking 19 wickets.
Pathirana soon became the main player of CSK’s pace attack, but the franchise surprised everyone by releasing the fast bowler after the IPL 2025 season. Overall, he has taken 47 wickets in 32 matches in the IPL.
Robin Uthappa praised Mathisha Pathirana
Speaking on Star Sports during the mock auction, former India batsman Robin Uthappa, who was representing KKR, was full of praise for Pathirana. He bought Pathirana for ₹13 crore in the mock auction and said that he can be very effective in the death overs for the team.
“It’s all about planning and keeping things simple. We needed a good death bowler. Given the kind of coaching staff that KKR have, Pathirana can be very effective in the death overs. He has been a bit rusty recently and has gone back into the auction pool, which I think will motivate him more to perform.
He said, “The change in the franchise can also help. With Pathirana, Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora, if you are asking who bats in the first XI, it would be Vaibhav Arora. Also, Varun has been working on his batting, he is also not far away from clearing the ropes.”
