Kolkata Knight Riders’ fast-bowling coach Tim Southee has spilt the beans, confirming that ace pacer Matheesha Pathirana has arrived to the KKR setup ahead of their IPL 2026 game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, May 03. Southee further said that Pathirana has started training with the squad and the dressing room is delighted to have him in.
Notably, Pathirana missed the first half of the Indian Premier League, as he was not granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to travel to the neighbouring nation and take part in the tournament. However, the Lankan cricketer is now looking forward to making his maiden appearance in KKR kits.
“Yes, he’s arrived. He’s been around the group for a little bit now. We’ll look at conditions and make a decision on the side that we think is best for tomorrow’s game. He’s been bowling well at training and it’s great to have him a part of the side,” Southee said during a media interaction.
For the unversed, Pathirana boasts an excellent matchup against in-form SRH batter Heinrich Klaasen and poses a real challenge to the Proteas cricketer during their face-off. To this, Southee added that he is aware of the record that the slingy pacer has against Klaasen, but a decision to include him in the playing XI will depend on the overseas combinations after careful consideration of other factors as well.
“Yes, you take a number of things into consideration for selection. Obviously, the balance of a side and the makeup of your team. In the IPL, your makeup with the overseas has to change when you make those changes. So, those decisions will be taken into account along with the conditions that we’re looking to be faced with tomorrow,” Southee elaborated.
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Notably, KKR are the second franchise for Pathirana in the marquee Indian T20 tournament. He made his debut for Chennai Super Kings, but the side released him ahead of the 2026 auction, where KKR bagged him for a handsome amount of INR 18.00 crore, outbidding all others, including the Chennai-based franchise.
