Matheesha Pathirana gets signed by KKR with massive hike from CSK salary in IPL 2026 auction

Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Auction on Tuesday, December 16, in Abu Dhabi. The youngster gets a massive hike in salary after being retained by his previous franchise, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for INR 13 crore ahead of the 2025 mega auction.

Matheesha Pathirana was released back into the player pool after a mediocre season, with his tweaked action and injury concerns also proving to be a massive concern. However, he remained one of the premier names among overseas pacers in the auction pool, amid a sky-high demand by franchises.

The pacer triggered a major bidding war between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) initially, before the former backed out at the INR 15.60 crore mark. However, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) entered the bidding war to swoop the player with a price tag of INR 18 crore to land their new overseas pace bowling spearhead, and round up their attack.

Pathirana has a connection with the Knight Riders family as he has represented the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

KKR had earlier shelled out a record INR 25.20 crore for the services of Australia all-rounder Cameron Green, making him the third-most expensive signing in auction history. The three-time winners have also made another overseas acquisition in the early stages of the auction after landing Finn Allen for his base price of INR 2 crore.

Matheesha Pathirana returned figures of 3-19 in his most recent outing in the International League T20 (ILT20)

Although the Sri Lankan pacer had struggled in his first outing in the 2026 ILT20 for the Sharjah Warriors, in timely fashion, he reminded everyone of his prowess to register a three-wicket haul in the win over the Gulf Giants on December 15.

He dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, and Matthew Forde to help his side defend a 175-run target, and earn the player of the match award.