All posts tagged: Pathirana

SLC Grants NOC to Matheesha Pathirana to Join KKR For IPL 2026

SLC Grants NOC to Matheesha Pathirana to Join KKR For IPL 2026

Published by Webster

The pacer Matheesha Pathirana has been cleared by Sri Lanka Cricket’s fitness test and has been given NOC to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the IPL 2026 season. According to reports, Pathirana has recovered from his injury and is likely to KKR campaign on April 17. However, he will be available for the KKR’s game against the Rajasthan Royals on April 19 if he passes the KKR’s fitness test. This will significantly boost KKR’s lineup, who are at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table. Kolkata Knight Riders has depleted bowling attack after injury enforces withdrawals of Harshit Rana and Akash Deep. Meanwhile, Mustafizur Rahman has also been released by the franchise ahead of the tournament. With Varun Chakravarthy out of form, the side has been hit with major concern on bowling attack. Matheesha Pathirana (image: X) They failed to defend the 220 run target against Mumbai Indians,and fall short of 65 runs in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They also lost the game against Lucknow Super Giants and suffered three consecutive defeats. Matheesha …

Matheesha Pathirana to miss IPL 2026 start through injury; Lockie Ferguson opts for paternity leave, to rejoin later

Matheesha Pathirana to miss IPL 2026 start through injury; Lockie Ferguson opts for paternity leave, to rejoin later

Published by Webster

2 min readMar 21, 2026 11:09 AM IST Joining a long list of pacers unavailable for the start of the Indian Premier League 2026, Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana and New Zealand quick Lockie Ferguson are set to miss the initial phase of the tournament. Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar confirmed on Friday that Pathirana, who was ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup due to a calf strain, is currently undergoing rehabilitation and will only be available from mid-April. Pathirana sustained a calf injury during Sri Lanka’s 2026 T20 World Cup game against Australia and was helped off the field, appearing in only three games for Sri Lanka in the tournament. ALSO READ | IPL: From Josh Hazlewood to Sam Curran, here is an injury list of overseas players “The latest update is that he is with the Sri Lankan cricket board for his rehab. Somewhere mid-April is when they feel he’ll be match fit,” Nayar said during KKR’s pre-season press conference. Pathirana was bought by KKR for INR 18 …

Matheesha Pathirana to Miss Early IPL 2026 Matches in Blow for KKR

Matheesha Pathirana to Miss Early IPL 2026 Matches in Blow for KKR

Published by Webster

The Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana is set to miss the initial phase of the IPL 2026 and will be available for the league from mid-April. The Kolkata Knight Riders head coach, Abhishek Sharma, has confirmed the news on the pacer who sustained a calf injury during the 2026 T20 World Cup. Matheesha Pathirana featured in just three matches in the tournament before being helped off the field during the game against Australia. “The latest update is that he is with the Sri Lankan cricket board for his rehab,” said Abhishek Nayar on Matheesha Pathirana. “Somewhere mid-April is when they feel he’ll be match fit.” The Kolkata Knight Riders have also been hit by the absence of Harshit Rana, who sustained a knee injury. He sustained the injury during India’s T20 World Cup warm-up game against South Africa and missed the tournament. Although Harshit Rana has not officially ruled himself out of the IPL, the KKR head coach is already exploring options to fill his role. “Firstly, it is a big blow,” Nayar said, …

Former CSK batter slams Ajinkya Rahane and KKR ahead of IPL 2026 season

Former CSK batter slams Ajinkya Rahane and KKR ahead of IPL 2026 season

Published by Webster

2 min readMar 19, 2026 08:52 PM IST Kolkata Knight Riders are approaching their IPL 2026 campaign with poor form and injury concerns compounding their woes, and former Chennai Super Kings batter S Badrinath did not mince words as he criticised the team’s overall management. Badrinath slammed KKR for backing veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane as captain for a second successive season and also questioned the team’s decision to make a record-breaking signing of Australia all-rounder Cameron Green for Rs 25.20 crore during the IPL 2026 mini-auction last December. Battling injuries and poor form since, Green has struggled to make an impact in national colours and Badrinath questioned if the Australian had it in him to win games all by himself. “You’ve signed him for 25 crores, and he is woefully out of form. He struggled massively for Australia in the T20 World Cup. Cameron Green went for so much purely because of the hype. He is not worth that much. Has he singlehandedly done anything in the IPL? Australian players always get hyped up, …

‘We knew the calibre of cricketer he is’: KKR assistant coach Shane Watson opens up on buying Cameron Green in auction | Cricket News

‘We knew the calibre of cricketer he is’: KKR assistant coach Shane Watson opens up on buying Cameron Green in auction | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson said that the franchise was absolutely stoked to have Cameron Green in the team for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The 2024 champions snapped up Green in the IPL auction earlier this week for a whopping Rs 25.2 crore, staving off competition from Chennai Super Kings as well as Rajasthan Royals. “I’ve always been a massive fan of Cameron Green. I’m an all-rounder at heart, so I know what it takes to push the limits to be the best all-rounder that you possibly can be. And I’ve always absolutely loved everything about Cameron Green – the way he goes about his skill set as a batter, and his incredible skill set as a bowler as well,” Watson said in an interview on the franchise’s website. “He’s got incredible height, he’s got incredible skill, and I’ve been wanting to have a chance to be able to work with him really closely. I’ve had a number of conversations with him over the years, to be able to just …

IPL Retentions 2026: CSK set to release Matheesha Pathirana | Cricket News

IPL Retentions 2026: CSK set to release Matheesha Pathirana | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Chennai Super Kings have decided to release Matheesha Pathirana into the auction pool, just a year after retaining him for Rs 13 crore last year. The Indian Express understands that the franchise continues to have concern around Pathirana’s fitness and the sort of impact his slightly remodelled action has caused to his bowling and given the uncertainty, releasing him to the auction pool will give them an opportunity to strengthen the squad. There is however, no guarantee that the franchise would not go for the player at the auctions should he come at a lesser price. IPL Retentions 2026: LIVE UPDATES The Chennai Super Kings management met on Friday evening, where there were lengthy discussions with regards to Pathirana. While Rajasthan Royals had sought to include Pathirana as part of the trade deal involving Ravindra Jadeja, CSK had shown restraint. However, the change of heart with regards to Pathirana seems to have come due to his injury history and whether an immediate remedy can be sought. Since undergoing a slight tweak in his action, which …

“Need To Keep Evolving”: CSK Bowling Coach’s Blunt Assessment Of Matheesha Pathirana

“Need To Keep Evolving”: CSK Bowling Coach’s Blunt Assessment Of Matheesha Pathirana

Published by Webster

Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Eric Simons has defended Matheesha Pathirana amid his underwhelming form this IPL season, saying that the opposition batters have started reading and adapting better to him. The five-time champions were eliminated from the IPL play off race on Wednesday when they lost to Punjab Kings, their eighth defeat in 10 outings. Pathirana, known for his slingy action, has lost the control he had in the previous season. Earlier, CSK head coach had said the reason for a dip in form was due to a change in action. “It’s been quite well documented that there was a bit of an action change. But he’s pretty much back to where he was and just in terms of the height of his arm on a reasonably consistent basis,” Simons said in the post-match press conference. “I’m not sure that he’s less accurate. Batters are playing him a lot better. We can certainly see a trend in the way that batters are playing against him, particularly against Mumbai the other day. “The …

Matheesha Pathirana in CSK documentary

Matheesha Pathirana in CSK documentary

Published by Webster

Matheesha Pathirana has called Mahendra Singh Dhoni his ‘cricketing father’ in a new documentary for the Chennai Super Kings franchise, which was released recently. The Sri Lankan cricketer and his parents gushed about the Dhoni effect on his rise in the documentary. Pathirana has been with CSK since he was signed as Adam Milne’s replacement during IPL 2022. He was also one of the players the storied franchise opted to retain ahead of the IPl 2025 auctions. “Dhoni is like my father, because of the support and the mentorship and the guidance he is giving me when I’m in CSK,” Pathirana said. “It’s very similar to what my father did in my home. That’s why I consider Dhoni my cricketing father.” Story continues below this ad “No words for MS Dhoni. He is the real God. How Matheesha respects his father. Like that, he respects Dhoni,” said Matheesha’s mother Shalika in the video. “In Sri Lanka, you are my father, in India it is MS Dhoni,” added his father Anura. After being fast-tracked into the …

Virat Kohli Gets Hit On Helmet By Matheesha Pathirana, Hits A Six On Next Ball. His Fiery Reaction Viral

Virat Kohli Gets Hit On Helmet By Matheesha Pathirana, Hits A Six On Next Ball. His Fiery Reaction Viral

Published by Webster

Virat Kohli could not get going as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their second game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. RCB’s talisman struggled, scoring 31 off 30 balls, despite the team managing a healthy first innings total of 196. The only memorable moment of Kohli’s knock came when he smashed CSK pacer Matheesha Pathirana for a six and a four right after being hit on the helmet by a bouncer from the Sri Lankan. Bowling the 11th over, Pathirana’s first ball was a sharp short delivery that struck Kohli on the helmet. Due to the hit, Kohli even had to be checked for concussion, as is mandatory. However, Kohli appeared visibly charged up, and gave a spectacular response to the early hit. The next ball by Pathirana was also pitched short, but this time Kohli was ready, getting into position and pulling it for six over fine leg. Right after that, Kohli timed his shot to perfection, chipping it over mid-wicket as it raced …

Virat Kohli fumes with heated outburst after slapping Pathirana for six right after fiery bouncer crashes his helmet

Virat Kohli fumes with heated outburst after slapping Pathirana for six right after fiery bouncer crashes his helmet

Published by Parlour News

Known for his competitive and aggressive personality on the cricket field, Virat Kohli showcased his famous approach once again, when he smacked Matheesha Pathirana for a six in their IPL 2025 fixture, on Friday. Virat Kohli was angry after smacking Matheesha Pathirana for a six.(Twitter) After a slow start to his knock, where he reached 16 in 22 balls, Kohli used the 11th over of RCB’s innings to accelerate against CSK. In the first delivery, Pathirana sent a short ball, which Kohli missed and was it on the helmet. The physio rushed out to the pitch to do a concussion test, and Kohli was fine to continue. Then the Sri Lankan sends a short ball, which Kohli pulls with ease over fine leg for a maximum. Then he followed it up, with a shot over mid-wicket for a four. After his six, it looked like Kohli had woken up due to the hit on his helmet, and also exchanged a word or two with the bowler. Full video of Virat Kohli and Matheesa Pathirana altercation: …