8 deliveries were all it took Matheesha Pathirana to get off the field once again, bringing his short stay out in the middle to a quicker end than expected. After bowling just 1.2 overs for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on his debut for the franchise and while playing his first game of the IPL 2026, the Sri Lankan pacer was forced to walk off the field, grimacing. He was bought by the three-time champions for a whopping INR 18 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction after being released by CSK, the team that he was a part of for multiple seasons in the past.
Stiffness has the final say against Matheesha Pathirana at the Eden Gardens : JioHotstar #KKRvsGT #EdenGardens #IPL #IPL2026 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/rlVSyAunbO
Matheesha Pathirana injured again
Pathirana conceded 7 runs in his very first over and looked like he was in no trouble then. But it was in his second over that the troubles surfaced. He ran in to bowl the second delivery but couldn’t complete it. The unorthodox fast bowler called out the physio while clutching his calf in apparent pain. While he did bowl one more delivery, the Sri Lankan pacer wasn’t in good shape and decided to walk off the field after having a word with the umpire and the physio.
Before KKR’s last match of the season against the Delhi Capitals, the 3-time IPL champions replaced Pathirana with Luvnith Sisodia. With the playoffs on the line and Angkrish Raghuvanshi already out of the match with a finger fracture, KKR felt that having a replacement was essential.
“Matheesha Pathirana, a right-arm pacer, is ruled out of the season due to a hamstring injury. Sisodia, a wicketkeeper-batter, was previously a part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and KKR in the IPL. Sisodia, who represents Karnataka in domestic cricket, has played 15 T20s and has 124 runs against his name from the same. He will join KKR for INR 30 lakh,” IPL said in a release.
Luvnith Sisodia replaces the injured Matheesha Pathirana in KKR's squad for the rest of IPL 2026 #MatheeshaPathirana #LuvnithSisodia #KKR #IPL2026 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/QiVOusjwBT
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) May 24, 2026Pathirana’s fitness troubles
Pathirana had obtained a fitness clearance and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sri Lanka Cricket earlier in April to take part in the IPL 2026. This came after he was sidelined due to a calf injury that he sustained at the T20 World Cup 2026, which took him months to recover. Despite joining the KKR squad in mid-April, he never featured in a game until the Gujarat Titans encounter at the Eden Gardens on May 16.
Pathirana made his IPL debut back in 2022 and has featured for CSK in 4 seasons. Once touted as CSK’s go-to bowler, he had a poor season in IPL 2025, which forced the five-time champions to release him. To date, the Sri Lankan pacer has 47 wickets from 33 IPL games and boasts an economy rate of above 8.
KKR, who have already been riddled with multiple injuries this season, including those of Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, were counting on Pathirana to return at a crucial stage of the tournament where a playoffs berth is at stake and deliver. However, that has not been the case, as the SL quick has once again suffered a potential calf injury, which could bring the curtains down on his IPL 2026 campaign. It won’t come as a surprise if KKR decides to release Pathirana ahead of the next season.
KKR forced to sign replacement as Matheesha Pathirana lasts just 8 deliveries in IPL 2026 Inside Sport India.
Hence then, the article about kkr forced to sign replacement as matheesha pathirana lasts just 8 deliveries in ipl 2026 was published today ( ) and is available on Inside sport ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( KKR forced to sign replacement as Matheesha Pathirana lasts just 8 deliveries in IPL 2026 )
Also on site :
- IPL 2026 playoff qualification for May 24: RR, PBKS and KKR in fray as DC crash out
- DRS May 24: Virat Kohli fight, Rohit Sharma is fit for MI vs RR, and bad news for RCB
- Predicted KKR Playing XI vs DC: No Raghuvanshi for Kolkata; what about Varun Chakaravarthy?