Matheesha Pathirana to play against DC? KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo drops huge update, says 'he is...'

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their upcoming IPL 2026 clash on Friday, May 8 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side managed to pick up some momentum, by securing three back-to-back wins in the ongoing tournament, still the pace attack needs urgent boost.

Dwayne Bravo opens up on Maheesha Pathirana

Ahead of the clash against the Axar Patel-led side, KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo dropped an unclear update on star Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana's fitness update. Opening up on the pacer, Bravo revealed that Pathirana is doing well and very close to playing, but the management is not keen on rushing him because of the serious nature of his injury.

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“He is very close to playing, but we do not want to rush him because of the nature of his injury. We all want to see him back, but timing is important. It is great to have someone of his quality around the group again," Bravo told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

Matheesha Pathirana's impressive stats

Matheesha Pathirana made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings in 2022 and has picked up 47 wickets in 32 outings at an economy of 8.68 and a bowling average of 21.6.

In the 2025 IPL season, Pathirana struggled a lot because of injuries and faced difficulties in managing consistency, as he managed to take only 13 wickets in 12 games at an economy rate of 10.14. After this season, he was released by CSK and was roped by KKR in the mini-auction.

In T20Is, Pathirana has taken 40 wickets in just 28 games for Sri Lanka, at an economy of 8.43 and an average of 18.3.