Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana entered the IPL 2026 auction ring with a base price of INR 2 crore, and eventually fetched nine times more, going for INR 18 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Pathirana triggered a three-way bidding war between KKR, Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). However, in the end, the three-time champions came out on the right side of the result.
Midway through the mini auction, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka revealed that their skipper Rishabh Pant wanted to bring Pathirana on board, and that’s why they chased him up to INR 17.80 crore.
Goenka further stated that the franchise reached the breaking point as INR 18 crore was the absolute limit they were not willing to breach for Pathirana. The failure to sign Lankan speedster forced the Pant-led side to rope in Anrich Nortje at his base price of INR 2 crore.
“Yes, our captain and vice-captain were both very keen on Matheesha Pathirana, as was I. We were also very interested in Anrich Nortje. Pathirana was our priority, and we went up to INR 17.8 crore, which was our absolute limit — we didn’t have the purse to go beyond that," said Goenka while speaking to broadcaster JioStar.
“When Anrich Nortje came up later, we were pleasantly surprised and delighted to secure him at the base price. So overall, it was a very considered, concerted, and well-thought-out decision,” he added.
Commenting on LSG’s auction strategy, Goenka revealed that Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga were the side's primary auction targets, and they only failed to acquire the Sri Lankan fast bowler.
“We are very close to our primary targets. Our key objectives were to secure one quality international leg-spinner and one reputed international fast bowler. Wanindu Hasaranga was our first-choice leg-spinner, and for the fast-bowling option, it was between Matheesha Pathirana and Anrich Nortje," Goenka stated.
“We are delighted to have acquired two players who were part of our shortlisted three, so we are extremely happy with how the auction has unfolded,” he remarked.
Players purchased by LSG in the IPL mini-auction: Josh Inglis (INR 8.60 crore), Mukul Choudhary (INR 2.6 crore), Akshat Raghuwanshi (INR 2.2 crore), Anrich Nortje (INR 2 crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (INR 2 crore), and Naman Tiwari (INR 1 crore).
LSG’s squad for IPL 2026 season: Rishabh Pant, Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Akash Singh, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshin Kulkarni, Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Mayank Yadav, Mohammmad Shami, Mitchell Marsh, Mohsin Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mukul Choudhary, Josh Inglis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari.
