3 teams who should target Matheesha Pathirana in IPL 2026 Auction ft. KKR

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) released Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The 10 franchises revealed their retentions and releases on Saturday, November 15.

Matheesha Pathirana was retained for a hefty price of ₹13 crore for the 2025 season. However, he could not deliver as per expectations while returning from injury. Pathirana picked up 13 wickets from 12 games at an average of 32.61 and an economy of 10.13. He also struggled with his accuracy and lines.

The pacer played a key role in CSK's triumph in 2023, picking 19 wickets from 12 matches at an average of 19.52. While his impact may have reduced last season, the five-time champions could explore the possibility of buying him back at a lower price in the upcoming auction as well.

He has played 32 games in the IPL so far and has bagged 47 wickets at an average of 21.61 and an economy of 8.68.

Should CSK stick to their call of moving away from Matheesha Pathirana, here are the three teams who should target him in the IPL 2026 auction.

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#3 Gujarat Titans (GT)

Gujarat Titans released Dasun Shanaka and Gerald Coetzee. They retained a strong core of Indian pacers such as Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and senior pro Ishant Sharma.

However, the only notable overseas pacer in their squad remains Kagiso Rabada. While Rabada did not play the entire season last year and featured in just four games, the Titans found it difficult to fill the overseas pacer slot in their 11.

They rotated Coetzee and Karim Janat, who were both ineffective in the limited games they played. Therefore, they will be keen to look for a solid backup for Rabada in the squad. Given his experience and past performance in the IPL, Matheesha Pathirana could be an option the Titans should explore to bolster their overseas pace attack.

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#2 Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) struggled with their fast bowling last season. They had a depleted pace attack with a lot of their Indian bowlers injured. While they acquired Mohammed Shami and Arjun Tendulkar via trades, they do not have an overseas pacer in their line-up.

They released Will O'Rourke and Shamar Joseph, the only two foreign pacers that they had last season. That said, Matheesha Pathirana is someone they would desperately look at in terms of an overseas fast bowler.

While Shami specialises in bowling in the powerplay, Pathirana can complement the attack well, given his ability to bowl at the death. Therefore, it would give their pace attack some much-needed balance that they lacked last season.

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#1 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will also be on the lookout for an overseas pacer in their line-up. They released Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, and Andre Russell.

Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora can share the new ball responsibilities for the Knight Riders, but they will need someone to bowl at the death with Russell gone and Mitchell Starc not being part of the team after the 2024 season.

With his slingy action and ability to bowl yorkers, having bowled at the death under pressure previously, Matheesha Pathirana would be on their radar heading into the IPL 2026 auction. His inclusion could give them the perfect blend of Indian pacers with a skilful overseas quick in the mix.