Another BAD NEWS for KKR! Star pacer RULED out of IPL 2026 - Reports

KKR will open their IPL 2026 tournament on March 29 against MI in Mumbai.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are facing a huge difficulty as a host of their fast bowlers are either injured or not available ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. KKR will open their IPL 2026 campaign against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 29 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

However, before their IPL 2026 begins, KKR had to say goodbye to Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ordered them to release the pacer after receiving backlash from Indian fans who were angry at the atrocities committed on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

The BCCI and IPL governing council allowed KKR to pick a replacement player for Mustafizur, and they signed Zimbabwe’s tall pacer Blessing Muzarabani. Muzarabani had an excellent outing for Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup 2026, where he helped Zimbabwe beat Australia and ended with 13 wickets to his name.

Before the T20 World Cup 2026 began, KKR pacer Harshit Rana suffered a knee ligament injury during a warm-up game and had to undergo surgery for the same. KKR had hoped that Harshit Rana, who was set to lead the pacer contingent, would recover in time. But the Delhi pacer has been ruled out of the IPL 2026, as his recovery process was slower than expected.

Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026

Amidst all, KKR was also waiting for the fitness update on Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana, who had suffered a calf hamstring injury in the T20 World Cup. Recent reports stated that Pathirana has gained fitness, but Sri Lanka Cricket has put a condition that he needs to pass a fitness test before they provide an NOC to him to play in the IPL 2026.

KKR’s troubles have further deepened as Cricbuzz, on March 21, 2026, reported that their Bengal pacer Akash Deep has also been ruled out of the upcoming IPL 19 tournament.

A top official from KKR has confirmed the development to Cricbuzz.

“Unfortunately, he is out of the IPL, ruled out for the season,” the KKR official told Cricbuzz.

At last year’s IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, the KKR franchise picked the 29-year-old Bengal bowler at his base price of INR 1 crore.

Due to his absence, KKR will now have to rely more on their remaining fast bowlers, many of whom are either inexperienced or have not yet demonstrated their ability to consistently perform at the highest level. In a lengthy and taxing competition like the IPL 2026, which will more than 70 matches in all, this lack of pacers might cause KKR some serious headaches.

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