E-Paper
Sign in
Matheesha Pathirana lapped up by KKR for nine times his base price; CSK show no interest after releasing him from squad
Matheesha Pathirana picked up by KKR for INR 18 crore. Five-time champions CSK did not raise their paddle even once for the speedster.
Matheesha Pathirana, one of the most sought-after pacers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction, attracted significant attention from various franchises on Tuesday. In the end, the Sri Lankan speedster ended up going for a substantial amount of INR 18 crore to the Kolkata Knight Riders. The 22-year-old entered the auction with a base price of INR 2 crore, and ultimately, he fetched nine times his initial price. Earlier, ahead of the auction, Pathirana was released by Chennai Super Kings, as the franchise opted not to retain him due to his lacklustre form in the IPL 2025 edition.
The initial bidding for Pathirana was between the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants; however, the former backed out once the bid reached INR 15 crore. However, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) quickly made their presence felt, and in the end, the three-time IPL winners managed to force LSG out of the bid, bringing Pathirana on board for INR 18 crore.
Also Read: IPL Auction 2026 LIVE: Check our live coverage here
It is worth mentioning that CSK did not raise their paddle even once for Pathirana, leaving several fans on the internet puzzled and shocked. Speaking of the pacer's IPL career, he has played 32 matches, taking 47 wickets.
However, he did not have a good IPL 2025 season, picking up only 13 wickets at an economy rate of 10.14. Coincidentally, this was the season where CSK finished at the bottom of the points table for the first time in their history.
Pathirana made a name for himself while playing for CSK, which even led to him becoming a regular feature in Sri Lanka's T20I playing XI. However, some bowling action trouble led to the pacer tweaking his arm rotation, and ever since doing so, he has never been the same bowler.
Green also goes to KKR
Earlier in the mini auction, KKR also lapped up Cameron Green, picking the Australian all-rounder for INR 25.20 crore, and with this, he became the most expensive overseas player in the history of the tournament, breaking the record of Mitchell Starc, who was picked up for INR 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction.
India spinner Ravi Bishnoi was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals, while David Miller and Ben Duckett were acquired by the Delhi Capitals for their base price of INR 2 crore.
West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein was brought on board by five-time champions Chennai Super Kings. South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock went for his base price of INR 1 crore to Mumbai Indians.
