Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana has been granted a No‑Objection Certificate (NOC) by Sri Lanka Cricket and has now cleared his fitness test, paving the way for him to rejoin Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2026. He is expected to land in India and link up with the KKR squad around April 17, 2026, potentially making himself available for selection in time for their high‑stakes match against Rajasthan Royals on April 19th and other key games later in the tournament. While not a lot has gone right for KKR so far, the bowling has been a major area of concern following the injury-enforced withdrawals of Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and the release of Mustafizur Rahman.
Injury background and fitness update
Pathirana has been out of action since the T20 World Cup 2026, where he suffered a calf strain and has spent the early IPL phase undergoing rehabilitation. Sri Lanka Cricket initially held back his NOC until he met strict fitness benchmarks, and there were reports that he had failed an earlier test; however, a fresh assessment has now cleared him to return to competitive cricket, including the IPL.
What this means for KKR
KKR, who bought Pathirana for ₹18 crore, have been without a full‑time, high‑impact death‑overs bowler and have leaned heavily on Varun Chakravarthy and part‑time options in the slog phase. With Pathirana’s return, the franchise will regain a specialist yorker‑bowler capable of tying down batters in the last four–five overs, which could significantly bolster KKR’s chances in the 2026 season.
–Samuthiran
