He has 47 wickets from 32 games in the IPL.
The IPL 2026 retention list was announced on Saturday, and one of the biggest surprises was Matheesha Pathirana being released by Chennai Super Kings. The Sri Lankan pacer was part of the CSK retention list ahead of the 2025 mega auction for INR 13 crore. But following a poor year, they have opted to let him go.
The 22-year-old Matheesha Pathirana took 13 wickets from 12 games in the previous season at an expensive rate of 10.13. His form in international cricket has also not been great, and the bowling action changes have added to his woes. However, he is still young and has a seriously high ceiling. Considering that, the franchises will go hard to acquire him in the IPL 2026 auction.
Now that the IPL 2026 retention list is out, teams will have a clear idea about their strategy. Here, we take a look at three teams that will target Pathirana in the auction.
ALSO READ: CSK Retention List IPL 2026, Released Players, and Remaining Purse Amount
The KKR retention list 2026 excluded a couple of big names, with Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer being released. As a result, they head into the auction with the biggest purse of INR 64.3 crore. Having also let go of Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson, KKR are in need of overseas pacers.
Matheesha Pathirana would be a solid fit on the side and will be their attack leader, with Harshit Rana to support him. Purse should not be an issue for KKR, with no other team having that kind of purse.
Five-time champions may have released Matheesha Pathirana into the auction pool, but there is a high chance they will have him in the auction strategy. CSK is a franchise that likes familiarity and often stick to their players.
After the CSK retention list 2026 was finalised, they have the second-highest purse of INR 43.4 crore. The reasoning behind releasing Pathirana could be that they want to re-sign him for a lower price. Expect CSK to go after him in the IPL 2026 auction.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have the third-highest purse at INR 25.5 crore with not many holes to plug. The SRH retention list 2026 has a pretty settled batting unit and several pace bowling options despite trading out Mohammed Shami.
However, with Pat Cummins and Brydon Carse’s fitness issues, SRH will need another overseas pacer on whom they can bank. Expect them to be in that bidding war for the speedster in the IPL 2026 auction.
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