KKR Suffer Fresh Blow Ahead Of IPL 2026: Another Star Pacer Ruled Out After Harshit Rana
The issues continue to increase for three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
- Kolkata Knight Riders' pacer Akash Deep is ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a back injury
- "Yes, Akash Deep is ruled out for the upcoming IPL season," a KKR official told IANS
- "He's not left for the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru for the rehab, but it's confirmed he's unavailable for IPL 2026"
The problems continue to mount for three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The side already had Harshit Rana ruled out of the entire tournament, and now in another major blow, pacer Akash Deep is also set to miss the season. Akash was bought by KKR for Rs 1 crore at the mini auctions held in Abu Dhabi last year. This news comes at a time when KKR's new recruit, Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana, is also awaiting clearance from his country's apex cricket board after a shoulder injury cut short his time in the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup.
Talking about Akash Deep, he had not joined KKR's pre-season camp, which began in Kolkata on March 18, nor was he spotted in the intra-squad practice game played at the Eden Gardens on Friday evening.
"Yes, Akash Deep is ruled out for the upcoming IPL season. He's not left yet for the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru for the rehab, but it's confirmed that he's unavailable for this season," a KKR official told IANS on Saturday.
As per IANS, Akash Deep is suspected to have picked up a stress reaction in his lower back, which typically takes 6-12 weeks for full recovery. It is understood that Akash Deep showed signs of suffering from this injury while turning out for Bengal in their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani from February 15-18.
As of now, KKR's fast-bowling contingent includes Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Blessing Muzarabani, and Kartik Tyagi, while Cameron Green and Ramandeep Singh are the all-round seam-bowling options.
KKR will open their IPL 2026 campaign against five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 29.
KKR have been looking at replacements in the fast-bowling department by organising trials at the Eden Gardens. The likes of Navdeep Saini, Akash Madhwal, Simarjeet Singh, Sandeep Warrier, KM Asif, and Sunil Kumar have been attending the trials to fill the spots left vacant by injuries to Rana and now Akash Deep.
(With IANS inputs)
Kolkata Knight Riders