The only team yet to win in the Indian Premier League 2026 season, Kolkata Knight Riders, have been trying to change the course of their campaign for five matches so far but have faced nothing but defeats.
Today, on April 17, Friday, they face Gujarat Titans, who are placed 6th on the points table, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With a strong home crowd expected for the oppositions, and in an attempt to bring something different into their lineup, KKR were hoping for the arrival of Matheesha Pathirana, who has joined the team, but is he playing today?
Matheesha Pathirana - Not Playing Today
No, unfortunately, yet again the Sri Lankan pacer will be ruled out of KKR's match. The team has confirmed that he will not be able to play today's IPL game as his travel logistics are still being worked out.
He was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ā¹18 crore in the IPL 2026 auction. He missed the start of the season due to a calf/hamstring injury sustained during the T20 World Cup. As of today, April 17, 2026, he has cleared his fitness tests with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and has obtained his No-Objection Certificate (NOC). He is scheduled to join the KKR squad in India and is expected to be available for upcoming matches, though he may miss today's clash against Gujarat Titans due to travel logistics.
Who else is injured or unavailable in Kolkata Knight Riders squad?
None of the other players are reported to be facing any such issues, and the rest of the squad is available for selection.
Who is injured in Gujarat Titans?
There are no injury concerns in the Gujarat Titans squad as well, with all players available for today's match.
In their last match, Kolkata Knight Riders faced Chennai Super Kings at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where CSK won the by 32 runs, keeping KKR winless for fifth consecutive matches.
In their previous outing, Gujarat Titans defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 7 wickets at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The Titans won the match chasing down a target of 165 with 8 balls to spare.
GT vs KKR Playing XI
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Manav Suthar/Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy