Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have got the news they have been eagerly waiting for, and it could become a painful reminder for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of IPL 2026 starting on March 28.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had released Mathisha Pathirana after a poor performance in the 2025 season and now Nathan Ellis has been ruled out of the upcoming season. They are now in dire need of a death over specialist. Well, KKR invested heavily in Pathirana and now he is ready to repay the trust.
CSK worried after releasing Mathisha Pathirana
The Sri Lankan speedster was one of Kolkata Knight Riders’ biggest buys for the season. The franchise spent a huge sum of Rs 18 crore on Pathirana, but his fitness worried the camp.
The Sri Lankan sensation suffered a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Australia and that ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
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That injury became a big headache not only for Sri Lanka but also for KKR, as Harshit Rana was already injured, so losing a bowler like Pathirana would have been a big blow for the three-time champions.
KKR get massive boost for Pathirana ahead of IPL 2026
Fortunately, Pathirana is now fit for IPL 2026, giving Kolkata Knight Riders a huge boost just before the start of the new season.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has cleared Pathirana to participate in the upcoming IPL 2026 after completing his recovery process, reports New Indian Express. He has also got NOC to play in the world’s biggest T20 league, which has come as a big relief to the KKR camp.
He is fit and ready to join IPL: SLC
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Secretary Bandula Dissanayake has confirmed that Pathirana has received the NOC from the board. He also said that the fast bowler is fit for action after completing his rehabilitation programme. However, the final decision will be taken by the franchise.
“As far as I know, he is fit and we have given him the NOC to participate in the IPL; that’s all I know at the moment. He has completed rehab and he is fit. But the franchise will be tasked to assess his readiness. We don’t know anything about that at the moment. As far as we know, he is fit and ready to join the IPL,” Bandula Dissanayake was quoted as saying by PTI.
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Abhinav Mukund questions Chennai Super Kings’ decision regarding Mathisha Pathirana
Meanwhile, former India batsman Abhinav Mukund has raised questions over the release of Mathisha Pathirana by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Mukund feels that CSK may regret the move as the team no longer has enough bowlers to perform well in the death overs.
In the IPL 2026 auction, CSK bought Matt Henry, Akeal Hosein, Jack Foulkes and Rahul Chahar. Even before the auction, he had retained Nathan Ellis, Khalil Ahmed and Mukesh Chaudhary. But Ellis has now been ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a hamstring injury, making things worse for CSK.
Pathirana’s absence may hurt CSK a lot
Mukund believes that Henry and Hosein are mainly powerplay bowlers, and then Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmed are also new-ball options, but CSK does not have defensive bowlers, especially for the death overs. And that’s why Mukund feels that releasing Pathirana was a shocking decision and his absence could badly affect them in IPL 2026.
“I thought they were a bit confused in the auction as to what type of bowler they needed. You’re essentially playing three bowlers every single game, which is why, for me, Pathirana’s release came as a bit of a shock. They’ve invested a lot in Pathirana,” he explained.
