IPL 2026: Former RCB coach believes LSG could target Matheesha Pathirana at auction

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar has opined that Matheesha Pathirana might be on the radar of Lucknow Super Giants. Pathirana was released by CSK ahead of the auction after spending four consecutive seasons with them. The auction is scheduled to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

Bangar highlighted LSG's primary objective of strengthening their fast-bowling unit. He also wondered whether Digvesh Rathi will be able to pull off another good season with the ball after impressing in his debut IPL camapaign.

"They can look at acquiring an overseas quick because that is their main need. Maybe, Pathirana would be fantastic. LSG would certainly like to look at somebody like a Pathirana to beef up their fast-bowling department. They would certainly want to have a backup for Digvesh Rathi from an Indian standpoint, but for me, Pathirana could be a good target for LSG going into the auction. Rathi had a very good first season, but can he replicate that?" shared Bangar while speaking on Star Sports.

LSG recently exploited the trade window and brought in veteran pacer Mohammed Shami from Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise retained 19 players and have a remaining purse of INR 22.95 crore. They have six slots remaining which include four overseas slots.

Speaking of the pacers they possess as of now, LSG have Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Akash Deep and Mayank Yadav in addition to the newly-acquired Shami. They also received Arjun Tendulkar from Mumbai Indians by trading Shardul Thakur to the five-time champions. The bowling attack is quite stacked at present.

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Barring Pathirana's first season, the Sri Lankan quick has been amongst the wickets. He secured a total of 55 wickets across three seasons from 2023 to 2025. Pathirana last played competitive cricket for Sri Lanka in the 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

LSG qualified for the playoffs in their first two seasons in the IPL (2022 and 2023). The 2024 and 2025 seasons were slight disappointments as the finished seventh on both occasions.