Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana is set to miss the opening phase of IPL 2026 and will be available only from mid-April, Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar has confirmed.
Pathirana, who was ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup due to a calf strain, is currently undergoing rehabilitation under the supervision of Sri Lanka Cricket [SLC]. He featured in just three matches in the tournament before being helped off the field during the game against Australia.
“The latest update that we know is he’s obviously with the Sri Lankan cricket board and they took out his rehab,” Nayar said during KKR’s pre-season press conference. “And the latest communication that we’ve had is, hopefully, somewhere mid-April is when they feel he’ll be match fit. That’s what we know as of now.”
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That timeline is likely to rule Pathirana out of at least the opening phase of IPL 2026, dealing an early blow to KKR’s bowling plans. The franchise had invested INR 18 crore in the 23-year-old at the auction after he was released by Chennai Super Kings.
KKR have also been hit by the absence of Harshit Rana, one of their pace mainstays in recent seasons, due to a knee injury. While Rana has not been officially ruled out of the tournament, Nayar indicated that the team is already exploring options to fill his role.
Rana suffered the injury during India’s T20 World Cup warm-up match against South Africa and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup, which India went on to win.
Harshit Rana celebrates after getting rid of Devon Conway BCCI
“Firstly, it is a big blow,” Nayar said. “Because Harshit has been an integral part of this team for the last couple of seasons, including the championship season. He’s grown a lot as a cricketer over the years, so it’s not easy to replace him.
“Having said that, over the last few days, we’ve looked at a few bowlers. We’re trying to evaluate, with the help of the leadership group, who fits in and who can do that role to the best of their prowess. We’re still evaluating that and haven’t made that decision yet, but hopefully we’ll identify someone soon who can make a difference to this squad.”
Dwayne Bravo, the KKR mentor, struck an optimistic note. He cited India’s fast-bowling depth – which includes Vaibhav Arora, Akash Deep, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi – and KKR’s spin resources as reasons the side can cope with the absence of key quicks. KKR will also be without Bangladesh’s left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman this season after the BCCI asked the franchise to release him from their squad earlier this year. KKR have since brought in Zimbabwe quick Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement.
“In any tournament with any team, once you lose some of the key bowling options, these are things you plan for, but also things you have to accept,” Bravo said. “The good thing about Indian cricket, especially at the moment, is that there is a lot of depth.
“So there are some guys, as the coach mentioned, that we are definitely looking at to fill the spot – the likes of Umran Malik. These guys are also players who have represented the national team at some point in time and have also played in the IPL before. They are young, exciting talents. So, for me personally, I’m happy to work with this group of fast bowlers.
“We have the best spin attack in the entire competition, so from a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine. Also, I can’t forget Vaibhav – what a fantastic season last year. He’s been the leader of the attack over the last two seasons as well. So, yes, we’ve lost some key players, but I feel comfortable [knowing that] we have what it takes to replace those guys.”
Varun Chakravarthy celebrates a wicket AFP/Getty ImagesKKR not concerned by Varun’s form
The T20 World Cup was a tournament of two halves for Varun Chakravarthy. Though he finished as the team’s joint-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets, his returns declined in the second half of the tournament. He took nine wickets in the first four matches, compared to five in the Super Eight stage and knockouts.
Nayar and captain Ajinkya Rahane felt the break between the World Cup and the IPL “is what a cricketer requires” and said KKR are “not really worried” about his form.
“I think when you have a long career in T20 cricket, firstly you tend to have such things,” Nayar said. “It’s almost like a batter sometimes not getting runs. A lot of batters score runs sometimes, but more often than not, they don’t. And that’s how cricket is. Varun has played a lot of T20 cricket over the past year, so a lot of factors come into play. Sometimes the conditions aren’t conducive to his style of bowling.
“You also need to understand he’s always bowling in the back overs for the team, sometimes in the powerplay, sometimes in phases of the game where two batters are already set, coming in and trying to pick wickets. So I wouldn’t say there’s anything necessarily wrong with him.
“He’s got a ten-day break from the World Cup. I think that break is sometimes what a cricketer requires. The beauty of team sport is that sometimes if Varun doesn’t turn up, someone else does. We don’t want to put that sort of pressure on Varun. He’s been a franchise player for us, someone who’s delivered year after year.
“There’s nothing wrong. I just feel that at that point in the tournament, whatever he was trying to execute, he couldn’t reach his full potential. But we try to make sure he can be at his best, because if he’s at his best, you know the result will follow.”
KKR begin their campaign on March 29 against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. They are also scheduled to face Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants at home in evening matches, as per the fixtures announced so far.