Kolkata Knight Riders enter their next IPL game against Gujarat Titans with shattered hopes and very little motivation. After no wins in their opening five matches this season, the three-time IPL champions are expected to tinker with their playing eleven in one last desperate attempt for two points at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

KKR stumbled to a big 32-run defeat against Chennai Super Kings in their last match and now remain the only team without a win this season. However, before the tournament began, many predicted this situation for the Ajinkya Rahane-led team as they lost their pace attack to injuries and other issues.

Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, two guaranteed starters in playing XIs, were ruled out due to injuries, and Mustafizur Rahman was let go on the BCCI's instruction. As expected, with an inexperienced pace attack, the team has struggled for positive results and is hoping for a turnaround in their next game against the Gujarat Titans.

Will Matheesha Pathirana play today's GT vs KKR match?

Ahead of their next match against Gujarat, Matheesha Pathirana is set to join the KKR camp. The Sri Lankan pacer was signed for a whopping INR 18 crore in the auction in December last year, but he suffered a calf injury during the T20 World Cup 2026.

The right-arm pacer received a NOC (no-objection certificate) from Sri Lanka Cricket last week and is arriving on April 17, on the same day as KKR's game against GT in Ahmedabad. Due to logistical issues, Matheesha Pathirana will not be part of KKR's squad for the GT game, and is expected to play the next game against Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata on April 19.

Matheesha Pathirana has a superb record in IPL, having played four seasons with CSK. The 23-year-old has taken 47 wickets in 32 IPL matches at an average of 21.61 and an economy rate of 8.68. His arrival will definitely boost KKR's depleted pace attack, but it might be too late for the team to revive their campaign this season.

KKR's predicted playing XI vs GT

So, with no Matheesha Pathirana today, KKR are expected to go with Cameron Green as their third pace option after Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi. Struggling Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy are expected to be joined by Anukul Roy in the three-man spin attack against GT.

KKR: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi (impact player)

Also read: GT vs KKR Match Prediction