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Ajinkya Rahane's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns against Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their upcoming IPL 2026 clash on Sunday, May 3 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Pathirana to play against Sunrisers Hyderabad?
The fans are patiently waiting for Matheesha Pathirana's first game in the KKR jersey. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side have found some momentum in the tournament with two back-to-back wins against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) respectively.
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Ahead of the first game KKR's bowling coach Tim Southee dropped an optimistic update on Pathirana' maiden game of the season. The former New Zealand said that the Sri Lankan speedster is bowling well in the nets, but the team management will take a call after assessing the pitch conditions.
“Yeah, he has arrived. He’s been around the group for a little bit now. So, we’ll look at conditions and make a decision on the side that we think’s best for tomorrow’s game. He’s been bowling well at training, and it’s great to have him as a part of the side," said Southee at the pre-match press conference.
Matheesha Pathirana's IPL career so far
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.
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