IPL 2027 auction: 3 Kolkata Knight Riders players who might not be retained
With the retention deadline approaching on November 17, KKR face some difficult calls after two disappointing seasons.
2. Matheesha Pathirana
Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana was signed by KKR at the IPL 2026 auction for INR 18 crore to address their death-bowling concerns, having previously spent four seasons with Chennai Super Kings. However, Pathirana managed just one match during IPL 2026 before an injury ended his campaign, and he bowled only eight deliveries across the entire season without taking a wicket.
At 23, Pathirana's variations and yorker-bowling ability remain genuine strengths, and his career record before joining KKR was impressive, including the second-best economy in overs 11-20 among fast bowlers since 2022, behind only Jasprit Bumrah. Releasing Pathirana would recover a significant portion of KKR's auction budget, and the franchise could look at options such as Sonny Baker or Josh Tongue to fill the pace-bowling vacancy at the IPL 2027 auction.
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