Kolkata Knight Riders signed Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana for Rs 18 crore in the IPL 2026 mini auction, which was held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (December 16). But KKR’ decision to buy the former Chennai Super Kings pacer has been questioned by former Indian batter Krishnamachari Srikkanth. According to the 1983 World Cup winner, Pathirana is a hit-and-miss bowler, and signing him was a big risk by KKR.
He, however, praised the franchise’s decision to sign Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who he thinks can be a good backup for Pathirana.
“Pathirana is a huge risk. He’s a hit-and-miss bowler. But KKR made a smart move by buying Mustafizur Rahman also. They’ve got a backup for Pathirana with Mustafizur. It was expected that with Bravo’s
presence, Pathirana would go to KKR. But I was surprised at his price and the number of teams that went for him,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
He also questioned if Pathirana really deserved the amount he was signed for.
“LSG kept going for him until 18 crores. Is he such a big bowler to go for 18 crores? His performance was very ordinary in the last IPL season. Many players get excluded after one bad season. Someone like Fraser McGurk didn’t do well one season, and he’s not even in the scene. Same with Devon Conway,” said Srikkanth.
In the IPL 2026 auction, apart from Pathirana and Mustafizur, KKR also signed Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for Rs 25.20 crore and 10 more players.
According to Srikkanth, he expected the former MI and RCB star to go for a big price and expects him to bat in the top three for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team.
“Cameron Green’s bid was along expected lines. 25 crores for him was expected, and he deserves it. The good thing for Green and KKR is that he’ll bat in his preferred position. He’ll play in the top three consistently and won’t go to 4 and 5,” said Srikkanth.
“They (KKR) had a fantastic auction. Kudos to the management for picking up a good team. They came with an excellent plan because they had the money power. The only cause of concern is a couple of spots from No. 4 to 6 in the batting. Especially No. 5 in the batting after Rahane and Raghuvanshi is a bit of a concern,” he added.
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