Abu Dhabi, UAE, 16 December (H.S.): Kolkata Knight Riders stunned the IPL 2026 auction on Tuesday by securing Sri Lankan pace sensation Matheesha Pathirana for a whopping ₹18 crore after a fierce bidding war, while Rajasthan Royals clinched Indian leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi for ₹7.40 crore amid intense competition.

Pathirana's Record Bid Steals Spotlight

Delhi Capitals ignited the frenzy for Pathirana, with Lucknow Super Giants pushing the price to ₹10.40 crore before KKR swooped in at ₹15.80 crore, escalating straight to ₹18 crore to seal the deal. The 22-year-old boasts 31 T20I wickets at an average of 18.25 in 21 matches, including two four-wicket hauls, 133 T20 scalps across 100 games, and 47 IPL wickets in 32 outings for Chennai Super Kings, with 12 in IPL 2025 over 13 matches.

Bargain Buys and All-Rounder Riches

Rajasthan Royals outbid Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad to nab Bishnoi—base price ₹2 crore—for his 61 T20I wickets at 19.37 average across 42 games; current champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru smartly grabbed New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy at base ₹2 crore, the 2025 international wicket-taker with 72 scalps in 35 matches and 178 in 156 T20s.

The auction opened explosively as KKR landed Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for ₹25.20 crore—IPL's third costliest and priciest overseas buy—edging past Rajasthan and Chennai, with Green's T20I tally of 521 runs and 12 wickets in 21 matches, plus 707 IPL runs and 16 wickets in 29 games.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar