Matheesha Pathirana to miss IPL 2026 start through injury; Lockie Ferguson opts for paternity leave, to rejoin later

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“The latest update is that he is with the Sri Lankan cricket board for his rehab. Somewhere mid-April is when they feel he’ll be match fit,” Nayar said during KKR’s pre-season press conference.

Pathirana was bought by KKR for INR 18 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

Meanwhile, Ferguson has no injury concerns. But the New Zealand pacer, who welcomed a baby with his partner, said he will spend time at home before linking up with the Punjab Kings squad in the “later stages” of the tournament.

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“Just had a son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help the wife out. I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter,” Ferguson said ahead of the third T20I against South Africa.

“Really looking forward to some time at home and then back into some cricket after that. Sometimes the hard part is deciding when to take a rest. This feels like the right time, especially since my wife was looking after the baby while I was at the World Cup,” he added.

These omissions mean a long list of foreign players will miss out on the initial phase of the IPL, such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran and Jack Edwards.

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