Huge boost for KKR as star player gets NOC ahead of IPL 2026 clash against CSK

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a nightmarish start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign, finding themselves at the bottom of the points table. They have only one point in their bag due to the washout result against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the iconic Eden Gardens. 

The Ajinkya Rahane-led side started the campaign with an away defeat against the Mumbai Indians by six wickets before being handed a 65-run loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad at home. Recently, a phenomenal knock of Mukul Choudhary for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) blew them away for a three-wicket defeat. 

Matheesha Pathirana to join KKR in Chennai for IPL 2026

Ahead of their next fixture, the KKR speedster, Matheesha Pathirana, has reportedly received his No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the IPL 2026 ahead of their next game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. 

KKR invested a massive amount for the Sri Lankan pacer, signing him up for a record INR 18 crore, which underlines his importance to their plans. However, his participation had been in doubt following the left-leg injury sustained during the T20 World Cup 2026, where he managed to bowl only four deliveries against Australia before being forced off the field.

See Also: Watch: Moeen Ali smashes Saim Ayub for 22-run over during KRK vs HYDK clash in PSL 2026

The 23-year-old has featured in 32 innings for the tournament in the Super Kings’ side as he picked up 47 wickets at an average of around 22 and an economy rate of 8.68. In 2023, he has grabbed 19 wickets at an economy rate of eight, while in the previous edition, he collected 13 wickets at an average of 32.61 and an expensive economy rate of 10.13.

KKR to get massive boost with Pathirana’s bowling

KKR’s problems extend beyond their bowling performance. Firstly, they had the issue of a lack of bowling options when Cameron Green wasn’t fit to bowl. But in the last game, he did. But they lacked the suitable options to bowl in the death overs. Vaibhav Arora has struggled in this phase along with their new member, Navdeep Saini.

Sunil Narine has been the only member to provide them the strong cushion of four economical overs, while his spin partner, Varun Chakravarthy, missed out on two consecutive clashes due to injury. Kolkata will badly need to win a clash to stay alive in this competition.