Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off another stunner at the IPL 2026 auction. They grabbed Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana for a whopping ₹18 crore amount. His base price was merely ₹2 crore when the bidding started.
Several franchises wanted him, but KKR refused to back down at all. They kept raising their paddle until every other team finally gave up. Chennai Super Kings had him earlier before releasing him for this auction.
The price jumped nine times which proves how much teams value him now. KKR supporters couldn’t believe their team spent this much on one bowler. But the management clearly sees huge potential in Matheesha Pathirana for future seasons.
His Cricket Journey So Far
Matheesha Pathirana broke into the tournament scene back in 2022 as a teenager. CSK took a chance on him and he didn’t disappoint them much. His slinging action makes him really difficult for batters to pick up early on.
He’s represented Sri Lanka in 32 T20 International matches till now across competitions. The young pacer has picked 47 wickets at an average of 21.61 overall. That’s pretty solid for someone who just started his international career recently.
Looking at his total T20 record makes things even more gripping here. Pathirana has played 99 matches and grabbed 132 wickets in total. His best figures of 4/20 came during one great match skit.
What Happened Last Season
The 2025 season saw him playing 12 games for the Chennai Super Kings only. He collected 13 wickets which wasn’t bad, given the limited chances. His economy rate was 10.13, and his bowling average was 32.61.
Death overs bowling is really tough and wide balls sometimes trouble him badly. But he’s young and keeps getting better with every single match he plays. KKR probably saw his T20 International numbers, which look much more impressive.
He took 31 wickets in just 20 innings at 18.25 average for Sri Lanka. That stat line convinced KKR to spend big money in the IPL 2026 Auction on this talented pacer. They’re backing his potential rather than worrying too much about one average season.
