Why is Matheesha Pathirana not playing tonight's KKR vs GT clash of IPL 2026?
Matheesha Pathirana is yet to play a single game in IPL 2026 for KKR.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) are clashing in the 60th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on May 16. The encounter is taking place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
While KKR aim to keep their hopes of reaching the playoffs alive with a victory in tonight’s clash, GT will become the first team to book a spot in the playoffs with a win.
Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to field first in the clash. At the toss, he informed that they are going with the same XI. On the other hand, KKR made just one change by bringing back spinner Varun Chakravarthy. This meant that pacer Matheesha Pathirana still didn’t find a place in XI.
Why did Matheesha Pathirana miss KKR vs GT clash of IPL 2026?
Pathirana has been overlooked from the playing XI once again. Although he has joined the KKR camp, he has not been preferred by in the playing XI due to team combination. KKR have opted for pacers like Saurabh Dubey and Kartik Tyagi in tonight’s match.
The Sri Lankan pacer missed the initial part of the tournament due to a hamstring injury sustained in ICC T20 World Cup in February. After getting an NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), he arrived in India and joined the KKR squad in the second phase.
Speaking at the toss, Rahane said, “There’s a little bit of moisture, there’s rain last night, heavy rain, so I don’t think it will change that much, considering there is breeze going on. I’m not too sure about the dew factor as well, but whatever it is, we want to give our best in our bat, and then when we defend the total, give best in those 20 overs. Varun comes in, Varun is fit”.
Is Matheesha Pathirana part of KKR vs GT clash?
No, he is not part of the match.
Who won the toss in KKR vs GT match?
GT won the toss and chose to field first.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.