Matheesha Pathirana is set to arrive in Kolkata Knight Riders’ camp late on Saturday, a timely addition for a side that has struggled to get going in the IPL and currently sits at the foot of the points table. The Sri Lankan fast bowler has overcome a calf strain he picked up during the T20 World Cup and has now passed the fitness assessment required by Sri Lanka Cricket, receiving the necessary no-objection clearance. He is already travelling and is expected to join the squad before KKR’s match against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
Despite the arrival, Pathirana is not expected to be thrust straight into the starting XI. KKR’s medical team will first evaluate his readiness during a couple of training sessions to confirm his match fitness, with a team source indicating that selection will follow those assessments.
Pathirana was signed by KKR for Rs 18 crore at the last IPL auction, and his early absence was always likely given the calf injury sustained during the T20 World Cup earlier this year. After his recovery, he had initially been projected to arrive sooner, with the plan to join the group before KKR’s fixture against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Friday.
For KKR, the development is a welcome boost as they continue their search for their first win, having gone winless across six matches. They have managed only one point so far, which came from a rain-affected encounter versus Punjab Kings that ended without a result.
Bowling has been a central problem for KKR even before the competition began. Mustafizur Rahman missed games for reasons unrelated to cricket, while Harshit Rana and Akash Deep were also ruled out due to injuries. The challenge increased further when Varun Chakravarthy struggled to find his rhythm, leaving the franchise heavily reliant on Sunil Narine and the comparatively inexperienced Anukul Roy to shoulder the spin workload.
KKR’s difficulties were evident in their first outing as well. They were unable to defend a total of 220 in their opening match in Mumbai, and Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down the target with ease, inflicting a 65-run defeat on KKR in Kolkata. A rain washout against Punjab Kings provided their only point, but subsequent results have underlined the gaps in their bowling depth—especially after Lucknow Super Giants produced a thrilling win that further exposed the inexperience in KKR’s pace unit.
To make matters worse, KKR have also suffered successive defeats in away matches, losing back-to-back games against Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans in their previous outings.
