IPL 2026: Matheesha Pathirana joins KKR squad, confirms Tim Southee

KKR bowling coach Tim Southee confirms Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana has joined the squad for IPL 2026 after recovering from injury. Southee noted Pathirana has been bowling well in training and is a welcome addition to the side.

Matheesha Pathirana joins KKR squad

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Tim Southee said that Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana has arrived and is with the three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions' squad. Pathirana had suffered a calf strain during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Since then, he has been out of action and has missed all of KKR's IPL 2026 matches so far. During last year's IPL auction, the Sri Lankan speedster was snapped up by KKR for a whopping price of Rs 18 crore.

Speaking ahead of KRR's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, Tim Southee confirmed that Matheesha Pathirana has joined the squad and has already been training with the team. He added that the final playing XI for the match against SRH will depend on match conditions, and said Pathirana has been bowling well and is a welcome addition to the side. "Yes, he's arrived. He's been around the group for a little bit now. We'll look at conditions and make a decision on the side that we think is best for tomorrow's game. He's been bowling well at training and it's great to have him a part of the side," Southee said as quoted in a release from the KKR.

Southee on 'high-scoring' IPL 2026

When asked if he believes that this has been the toughest season of IPL for the bowlers, because of the way the targets have been changed so easily, Tim Southee acknowledged and explained that good batting pitches in India and the Impact Player rule allow teams to keep attacking even after losing wickets. As a result, teams now play more aggressively from the start, especially in the power play, trying to score quickly with fewer fielders outside the circle, he said.

"Yes, I think the last few IPLs have been high-scoring tournaments. The wickets here in India are usually pretty good, and now with the impact player over the last few years, it allows the teams to be able to lose a couple of wickets, but they can still continue to go hard. Whereas previously, with the makeup of the side, you're probably a little bit lighter in the batting, so you take a little bit more time with how you play out your innings. We've seen sides, especially in the powerplay, willing to take on the game and try and score as many runs as they can in that time with only two men out," Southee said.

Record-breaking season for batters

Notably, the IPL 2026 has already witnessed some of the biggest run fests in the league's history. Swashbuckling batters such as Abhishek Sharma, Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran Singh, along with heavyweights such as Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal, have been going all out against the bowlers, especially during the Powerplay.

This trend is also reflected in the number of 200-plus totals, which has already reached a staggering 36 this season, nearly double the tally for the same period about four years ago. There have been 11 200-plus totals successfully chased down till now, headlined by Punjab Kings going after a humongous 265 against Delhi Capitals earlier in the season.

KKR vs SRH showdown

KKR will look to restrict rampaging SRH, who are on a five-match winning streak, and aim for a win.

Currently, KKR sit in eighth spot on the IPL 2026 points table with two wins and a no-result in their eight matches so far. SRH, on the other hand, are placed third with six wins in nine matches.

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