Some superb news might be coming for you if you’re a Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fan. The team that is at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table is about to receive its biggest asset. Matheesha Pathirana, on whom KKR spent INR 18 crore at the IPL 2026 mini auction and who was set to be a major part of their plans, has finally received his No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Well, this is as per the reports of Revspotz.
The Sri Lankan players’ drama for the NOCs for IPL 2026 has been a long story. The SLC has been as strict as it has ever been in granting NOCs to their semi-injured pacers for the IPL. While Eshan Malinga did get his grant after some tussle, RCB’s Nuwan Thusara sued SLC for not granting him an NOC despite clearing the mandatory fitness test. Now, in Pathirana’s case, there has been a lot of ado.
Pathirana to finally join KKR at IPL 2026
Matheesha Pathirana got injured during the T20 World Cup 2026. After taking two wickets in the tournament, he could bowl just four deliveries in a must-win group game against Australia before pulling out from the match. Then, he went into recovery mode and took his time to get into playing condition.
While there has been much back-and-forth about him joining KKR soon, Pathirana’s wait continued in Kolkata’s dressing room. “With Pathirana, obviously, it’s a waiting game at the moment. And we’re being guided by the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). And we are just doing everything we can to get him over here as soon as possible,” said Shane Watson before KKR’s first game of the IPL 2026 season.
However, after missing Pathirana for the initial few matches, KKR got optimistic about his return. This is especially after he started to bowl in the nets. He was seen bowling in the nets at the R Premadasa Stadium the other day, although not in full tilt, as per the report. Now, the reports have come, stating that Pathirana has finally received a NOC from his board.
KKR has been in a bit of a soup for some time now. They lost Harshit Rana and Akash Deep for the entire season. Not to forget that they had to release Mustafizur Rahman on BCCI’s demands as well. While the likes of Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Dubey and Blessing Muzarabani have come as a replacements, KKR’s bowling has been ordinary so far. The inexperienced bowling attack has been hit for runs, coming out as the main factor why KKR are winless thus far.
Worst pace-bowling team in IPL 2026
| Team | Players | Mat | Overs | Wkts | Avg | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRH | 6 | 4 | 43.3 | 11 | 45.36 | 11.47 |
| KKR | 8 | 4 | 35.0 | 13 | 30.69 | 11.40 |
| RCB | 7 | 3 | 40.4 | 17 | 26.23 | 10.96 |
| MI | 7 | 3 | 37.1 | 7 | 57.28 | 10.78 |
The Knight Riders are on a road for one week now. Their last match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) was washed out due to rain at Eden Gardens and currently they are at Chepauk, preparing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 14. Pathirana is likely to join KKR in Chennai only, so less travel time from his country!
It will be a fascinating watch for the Chepauk crowd to see their former pacer play against them. After Chennai, KKR will travel to Ahmedabad to face the Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 17.
