Why is Matheesha Pathirana not playing KKR vs MI clash of IPL 2026?
Matheesha Pathirana has played only one game for KKR in IPL 2026.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are battling against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 65th match of the Indian Premier League 2026 on May 20. The encounter is taking place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
This is a do-or-die match for Kolkata Knight Riders, as a defeat will knock them out of IPL 2026. Ajinkya Rahane & Co. need to win their next two matches to keep their playoffs hopes alive
On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians are already eliminated from the tournament but have two more games left in the league stage. Although they won’t be able to book a berth in the playoffs, they can improve their rankings in the points table with victories.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl first. He revealed that they have made no changes to their playing XI. However, pacer Matheesha Pathirana was not part of the encounter.
Why is Matheesha Pathirana missing the KKR vs MI clash?
The Sri Lankan pacer was picked as an impact player in the previous clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT). However, he could only bowl 1.2 overs in the second innings.
Later, he sustained a hamstring injury while bowling and left the field midway. He did not arrive at the field later. Hence, Pathirana was not available for tonight’s clash due to injury.
The Sri Lankan pacer missed the initial games of the tournament as he was recovering from an injury he sustained in the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this month. He joined the KKR squad last month after receiving clearance from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to participate in IPL 2026.
Speaking at the toss, Rahane said, “We are looking to bowl first. (They need two wins out of two) Yes, absolutely. It’s as simple as that. We just want to focus on this game. We played really good cricket overall last game against GT. It’s frankly tough to read the wicket, but as I said, we need to play good cricket throughout 40 overs, and then see what happens. We are going with the same team”.
Why is Matheesha Pathirana not part of the KKR vs MI clash?
He is missing the game due to a hamstring injury.
Who won the toss in the KKR vs MI match?
KKR 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.