2 months ago
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is keeping its fingers crossed implicit Matheesha Pathirana’s availability successful IPL 2026. KKR adjunct manager Shane Watson admitted that it was a “waiting game” arsenic the Sri Lankan pacer continues his betterment from a near calf injury.
Bought for a whopping ₹18 crore astatine the auction, Pathirana was among KKR’s apical priorities, but Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is yet to wide him to question to India and articulation the squad.
“With Pathirana, evidently it’s a waiting crippled astatine the moment. We are being guided by SLC and doing everything we tin to get him implicit present arsenic soon arsenic possible,” Watson said present connected Saturday, up of KKR’s season-opener against Mumbai Indians.
Watson stressed that the franchise was aligned with SLC successful ensuring the slinger returns lone erstwhile afloat fit. “We person got the nonstop aforesaid interests arsenic Sri Lankan cricket arsenic well. We privation Pathirana to beryllium here, we privation him to beryllium fit. We surely would ne'er propulsion him immoderate earlier than helium needs to,” helium said.
“The past happening that we privation is him playing the archetypal crippled trying to travel backmost excessively aboriginal and interruption down. He was 1 of our apical priorities successful the auction. We cognize erstwhile helium is astatine his best, the unthinkable accomplishment that helium has got and the quality that helium provides.”
For now, KKR hopes the clearance arrives soon — not conscionable for lucifer readiness but besides to easiness his integration into the squad. “We person got our fingers crossed hopefully sooner alternatively than later,” Watson added.
