New Delhi: Sri Lanka were dealt a major blow during their third group-stage clash against Australia in the T20 World Cup 2026 on Monday as star pacer Matheesha Pathirana limped off the ground with a suspected hamstring injury. Pathirana got injured in his very first over in the game and had to leave the ground.
Pathirana began his spell in the third over in the Powerplay against Australian openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh. He ended up injuring himself in his follow-through after bowling four balls in the over. The pacer went down on the ground and looked in immense pain.
The 23-year-old was seen clutching his left leg as the support staff rushed to assist him. The pacer received treatment on the ground before leaving the ground with the help of the support staff. Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka stepped in to complete the remaining two deliveries in his over.
Pathirana didn’t return to bowl again in the game. However, there has been no update yet from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) regarding the extent of the pacer’s injury. If he is ruled out of the tournament, it will be a huge blow for Sri Lanka, who have already lost all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga to an injury.
Pathirana has been a vital cog in Sri Lanka’s pace line-up in T20Is and had started to find his rhythm after working on his action last year. The pacer finished with figures of 2/26 in Sri Lanka’s opening game of the tournament against Ireland, but went wicketless in their last game against Oman, conceding only 11 runs off his 3 overs as the hosts won the game by a huge margin of 105 runs.
Pathirana’s injury is not good news for Kolkata Knight Riders
Pathirana’s injury is not good news for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who will be closely watching the pacer’s performances in the T20 World Cup 2026. KKR spent a whopping Rs 18 crore to rope in the Sri Lanka pacer at the IPL 2026 auction last year. With just over a month left for the IPL 2026 to get underway, Pathirana’s injury might derail KKR’s bowling plans.
The franchise have already let go of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman. KKR released Mustafizur on the instructions of the BCCI amid strained political relations between India and Bangladesh. As a result, Bangladesh boycotted the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and were eventually replaced by Scotland in Group C of the tournament.
Losing both Pathirana and Mustafizur can prove catastrophic for KKR, who will have to rethink their death-overs bowling plans.