Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have the perfect bowling attack for the IPL after they acquired the services of Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana at the mini-auction, which took place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16.
Pathirana joined the Knights for a whopping INR 18 crore, as the three-time champions won an intense bidding war against Lucknow Super Giants. The right-arm pacer, who bowls with a slingy action, will get
an opportunity to reunite with Dwayne Bravo at KKR. They played together for CSK in IPL 2022. Now, Bravo is serving as a mentor at the Kolkata-based franchise.
Pathan stated that KKR have all bases covered in the bowling department, with Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Cameron Green, Pathirana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Sunil Narine in the line-up.
“Now that Matheesha Pathirana has come into KKR, they have covered all phases of the 20 overs in their bowling,” Pathan said.
He detailed the team’s bowling structure: “Harshit Rana – Powerplay, Death; Vaibhav Arora – Powerplay; Cameron Green – Middle overs, HTD; Pathirana – Middle overs, Death; Varun Chakravarthy – Powerplay, Middle; Sunil Narine – Middle overs.”
Pathirana has played 32 matches in the IPL so far. He has accounted for 47 wickets at an average of 21.62 and an economy rate of 8.68. The 22-year-old is known for his ability to bowl yorkers and change speeds deceptively. He didn't have a memorable outing in IPL 2025 for the Chennai Super Kings and was released by the franchise last month.
Pathirana will now turn up for KKR in the upcoming season and will face stiff competition for a spot in the playing XI from the experienced Mustafizur Rahman, who joined for INR 9.2 crore.
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