India, Dec. 16 -- Matheesha Pathirana, one of the most sought-after pacers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction, attracted significant attention from various franchises on Tuesday. In the end, the Sri Lankan speedster ended up going for a substantial amount of INR 18 crore. The 22-year-old entered the auction with a base price of INR 2 crore, and ultimately, he fetched more than INR 15 crore, nearly nine times his initial price. Earlier, ahead of the auction, Pathirana was released by Chennai Super Kings, as the franchise opted not to retain him due to his lacklustre form in the IPL 2025 edition.

The initial bidding for Pathirana was between the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants; however, the former backed out o...