Matheesha Pathirana Injury Update: Abhishek Nayar Reveals Return Timeline

Matheesha Pathirana will miss the first few matches of Indian Premier League 2026. Abhishek Nayar, the coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, said that Pathirana is still recovering from injury. He is expected to become fully fit by mid-April and will join the team after that.

“He is with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board. They look after his rehab. The latest communication we sort of had is hopefully, somewhere in mid-April, they feel he will be match fit. That’s what we know as of now. That’s the update we got from the board. That’s how it’s looking now," Nayar said in the press conference facilitated by JioStar.

Matheesha Pathirana Set to Miss Early Matches of IPL 2026 Due to Injury

Matheesha Pathirana was bought for ₹18 crore in the IPL 2026 auction. He was expected to fix the team’s death bowling problems, especially when Andre Russell is not available. But during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, he suffered a hamstring injury. Because of this, he missed the tournament and will also miss at least the first three matches for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Abhishek Nayar also said that Harshit Rana is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Once the Board of Control for Cricket in India gives an update on his injury, Kolkata Knight Riders will officially announce his replacement. Currently, several pacers, including KM Asif, Simarjeet Singh, and Navdeep Saini, are training with the franchise and one of them will be selected for the cash-rich tournament. 

“Harshit is with the BCCI, at the CoE (Centre of Excellence). Once we get update from there, it will be easy. Soon after, we will let all know. As I said, today is the first practice game, and one more game on the 23rd. We will try to make sure we evaluate whoever we are picking before we actually make the announcement. It will take a few more days but most probably, before we leave for Mumbai,” Nayar said.