IPL 2026: Which bowler in race to replace Harshit Rana in KKR squad?
Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the IPL 2026 due to a knee injury.
Ahead of the IPL 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered a huge blow as their star pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the tournament. The right-arm pacer is recovering from a knee injury, which he sustained in the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match against South Africa last month.
Due to his severe knee injury, Rana was ruled out of the T20 World Cup at the last moment. Senior pacer Mohammed Siraj replaced him in India’s squad. The Indian pacer underwent knee surgery in Mumbai on February 9. He is expected to need two to three months to regain his full fitness.
Hence, Rana is currently recovering from a knee injury and will not be available for IPL 2026. The right-arm pacer was recently seen walking with crutches during BCCI’s annual awards ceremony in Mumbai.
His absence from IPL 2026 will be a big blow to KKR, who are already short of Mustafizur Rahman. Following BCCI’s instructions, they released Rahman from their squad.
On the other hand, Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana is struggling with fitness issues. Kolkata’s pace attack comprises bowlers like Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, and Akash Deep. Now, the franchise is looking for a strong replacement for Rana.
Simarjeet Singh is leading the race to replace Harshit Rana
According to journalist Mohsin Kamal of KSportsWatch, Simarjeet Singh is leading the race to be picked as a replacement for Rana in the KKR squad for IPL 2026. The three-time champions called up six pacers for trials after Rana was ruled out.
In the trials, Simarjeet emerged as the leading contender to get a place in the squad. However, there is no official confirmation from the franchise yet.
Meanwhile, Simarjeet has been part of IPL since the 2022 edition, where he represented Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
After parting ways with the side after the 2024 edition, he played for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the last season. So far, he has taken 11 wickets in 14 matches in the tournament at an average of 36.36.
Why is Harshit Rana out of IPL 2026?
Rana has been ruled out due to a knee injury.
Who is leading the race to replace Rana in the KKR squad?
Simarjeet Singh is leading the race to replace Rana in the KKR squad.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.