'He's A Hit-And-Miss Bowler': Ex-India Captain Casts Doubt On KKR’s Rs 18 Crore Gamble At IPL 2026 Auction

Former India Team captain Srikkanth recently raised his doubts about KKR's Rs 18 crore gamble at the IPL 2026 auction, held on December 16, 2025. The auction saw Kolkata Knight Riders sign Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana for Rs 18 crore.

After being released by his former team, CSK, the pacer saw several bids from other IPL teams; however, it was KKR who came out on top with their whopping Rs 18 deal for the player.

Following the auction, Srikkanth, on his YouTube channel, shared that Matheesha Pathirana was a wildcard and that buying him could be a huge risk for the Kolkata-based team.

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Srikkanth On KKR Going All Out For Pathirana

The former player shared that while KKR did spend Rs 18 crore on the Sri Lankan pacer, they made a smart move by signing Mustafizur Rahman as their backup. Additionally, he added that he was surprised to see the player's price and the number of teams that pitched for him.

He shared, "Pathirana is a huge risk. He's a hit-and-miss bowler. But KKR made a smart move by buying Mustafizur Rahman, also. They've got a backup for Pathirana with Mustafizur. It was expected that with Bravo's presence, Pathirana would go to KKR. But I was surprised at his price and the number of teams that went for him."

Srikkanth further added, "LSG kept going for him until 18 crores. Is he such a big bowler to go for 18 crores? His performance was very ordinary in the last IPL season. Many players get excluded after one bad season. Someone like Fraser McGurk didn't do well one season, and he's not even in the scene. Same with Devon Conway."

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Matheesha Pathirana's IPL 2025 Season

Pathirana had an underwhelming season in 2025 for CSK, where the player only picked up 13 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of over 10. However, despite his lackluster season in 2025, Pathirana is still one of the top-rated bowlers in the league.

The player owns the fifth-best strike rate among IPL fast bowlers with more than 20 wickets, and since his debut in IPL, Matheesha Pathirana has picked up 47 scalps in 32 fixtures.