'He's a hit-and-miss bowler' - World Cup winner analyses KKR's move to buy Matheesha Pathirana for INR 18 crore

Kris Srikkanth wondered whether the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made the right call by spending INR 18 crore to sign Matheesha Pathirana at the IPL 2026 mini-auction on Tuesday, December 16. The 1983 World Cup winner described Pathirana as an inconsistent bowler, but he did praise the three-time champions for acquiring the services of Mustafizur Rahman as a backup for the Sri Lankan youngster.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) in a bidding war before losing to KKR, who had entered the auction with the highest purse - INR 64.3 crore. Srikkanth was surprised to see Pathirana going for such a huge amount as he noted how the 22-year-old struggled with the ball in IPL 2025. The cricketer-turned-expert mentioned how the likes of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Devon Conway went unsold after one bad season.

"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," said Srikkanth in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel.

"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," he added.

Srikkanth said he expected Australian all-rounder Cameron Green to go for the big price (INR 25.2 crore) that he did and believes that Green will bat in the top three.

"Cameron Green's but was along expected lines. 25 crores for him was expected, and he deserves it. The good thing for Green and KKR is that he'll bat in his preferred position. He'll play in the top three consistently and won't go to 4 and 5," said Srikkanth.

Kudos to the management for picking up a good team: Srikkanth

The former India chief selector said that the Ajinkya Rahane-led side had a great auction but questioned if they have enough strength in the middle order.

"They had a fantastic auction. Kudos to the management for picking up a good team. They came with an excellent plan because they had the money power. The only cause of concern is a couple of spots from No. 4 to 6 in the batting. Especially No. 5 in the batting after Rahane and Raghuvanshi is a bit of a concern," he stated.