Much has been said and written about the Chennai Super Kings’ team-building strategy ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Having traded out CSK legend Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, while acquiring Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals, the five-time IPL champions have clearly begun transitioning into a new era. However, one decision that raised many eyebrows was the release of Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, which freed up ₹13 crore in CSK’s purse.
Contrary to reports suggesting the release was a last-minute call, the 22-year-old was informed by the CSK management about his release a week before the retention deadline. When CSK approached Rajasthan Royals with a trade proposal for Sanju Samson, RR’s first demand was Pathirana, a request immediately turned down by the CSK board. Similarly, when CSK discussed a potential trade for Marcus Stoinis with Punjab Kings, PBKS also asked for Pathirana, only to be refused again. This has emerged as the most surprising aspect of the entire episode: if CSK had already decided to move on from Pathirana, why didn’t they explore trading him?
“We wanted to enter the auction with a substantial purse. We had already made tough calls by trading out Jadeja and Curran. Sanju Samson came at ₹18 crore. Given the kind of combination we are trying to build, the management collectively felt that a bigger purse would give us a better chance to construct a stronger squad,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told RevSportz. “Whatever we do will always be in the best interests of the team. We will try to get him back but it will depend on how the auction pans out.”
Pathirana is a player in whom CSK had invested heavily ever since bringing the sling-action bowler into the fold in IPL 2022. The franchise had been tracking him even before IPL 2020. Spotted by CSK performance analyst Lakshmi Narayanan, he was invited as a net bowler for the 2020 season, but his school denied permission. The same opportunity arose in 2021, only for Sri Lanka Cricket to block it because he was part of their U-19 squad. Undeterred, CSK finally signed him in 2022 as an injury replacement for Adam Milne. After claiming 47 wickets in just 32 IPL matches over three and a half seasons, the association between CSK and Pathirana has now come to an end.
Although CSK’s top priority is to acquire a couple of middle-order all-rounders, they would be open to repurchasing Pathirana if he goes for a low price in the auction, something that appears highly unlikely. The franchise has shown strong interest in two Kolkata Knight Riders releases: Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer. On the other hand, several teams are expected to pursue Pathirana aggressively, with KKR, bolstered by a large purse and having already held some informal discussions, emerging as a frontrunner to secure the Sri Lankan pacer’s services. Delhi Capitals, too, are fond of Pathirana.
The IPL 2026 mega auction is scheduled to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on 16 December.
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