Matheesha Pathirana, one of the most sought-after pacers in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, drew huge attention from multiple franchises on Tuesday. The Sri Lankan speedster went to Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 18 crore, nine times his base price of INR 2 crore. Chennai Super Kings released Pathirana ahead of the auction, choosing not to retain him due to his lacklustre performance in IPL 2025. The bidding initially involved Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, but Delhi dropped out at INR 15 crore. KKR then entered the fray and outbid LSG to secure Pathirana for INR 18 crore.
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Chennai Super Kings did not bid for Matheesha Pathirana even once, leaving many fans online puzzled and shocked. In his IPL career, Pathirana has played 32 matches and taken 47 wickets, but he struggled in the 2025 season, claiming only 13 wickets at an economy rate of 10.14. That season also saw CSK finish at the bottom of the points table for the first time in their history. Pathirana initially made his mark playing for CSK, earning a regular spot in Sri Lanka’s T20I squad. However, a change in his bowling action to adjust his arm rotation affected his performance, and he has not been the same bowler since.
Cameron Green most expensive overseas IPL signing KKR
In the IPL 2026 mini-auction, Kolkata Knight Riders also secured Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for INR 25.20 crore, making him the most expensive overseas player in tournament history and surpassing Mitchell Starc, who went for INR 24.75 crore in the 2024 auction. India spinner Ravi Bishnoi joined Rajasthan Royals, while David Miller and Ben Duckett moved to Delhi Capitals for their base price of INR 2 crore. Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings signed West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein, and South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock went to Mumbai Indians for his base price of INR 1 crore.
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