“He’s a hit-and-miss bowler” - Kris Srikkanth’s massive claim on ₹18 crore signing of IPL 2026 auction

Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth raised doubts about the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) going all-out to buy Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana for ₹18 crore in the IPL 2026 auction. Having been released by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Pathirana attracted several bids from other franchises before KKR acquired his services.

The 22-year-old endured a poor IPL 2025 season, picking up only 13 wickets in 12 games at an economy of over 10. Yet, Pathirana boasts an impressive overall IPL record, picking up 47 scalps in 32 outings at an average of under 22 and an economy of 8.68.

Talking about KKR's signing of Pathirana on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said (2:25):

"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."

He continued:

"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."

Pathirana was KKR's second-biggest buy after Cameron Green, who they acquired for a whopping ₹25.20 crore. The franchise also added to their bowling arsenal by signing Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crore.

"25 crores for him was expected, and he deserves it" - Kris Srikkanth

Kris Srikkanth called it a no-brainer that KKR went all-out for Cameron Green and signed him at a record price for an overseas player. After a bidding war with CSK, the 2024 champions finally landed Green at ₹25.20 crore - the most expensive signing of the 2026 auction.

"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 (via the aforementioned source).

Srikkanth praised the KKR management for a brilliant auction before raising a potential concern with their 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.

KKR signed 13 players at the auction, spending all but ₹45 Lakhs of their remaining purse.

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran