This development makes him the second Kolkata Knight Riders player to be ruled out of the 2026 season, following the earlier withdrawal of Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman at the direction of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Pathirana had been signed by KKR for INR 18 crore during the IPL mini-auction to strengthen their pace attack.
However, his participation now appears unlikely. While the exact reason behind the NOC denial remains unclear, reports suggest that the young fast bowler may not have passed the required fitness assessments.
The report also indicates that Pathirana has been out of action for a considerable period. The former Chennai Super Kings pacer had previously missed Sri Lanka’s series against England, as well as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup held at home.
In contrast, KKR had sufficient time to secure a replacement for Mustafizur, bringing in Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani. However, with the tournament set to begin on March 28, the franchise now faces a race against time to identify a suitable replacement for Pathirana.
As of now, neither KKR nor the IPL Technical Committee has issued an official statement regarding the situation.
Earlier, another pacer Harshit Rana had to be withdrawn from India's T20 World Cup squad at the last minute due to a knee injury, will not be available for the Knight Riders this season.
