Revealed: Who will replace Mustafizur Rahman in KKR squad for IPL 2026?
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KKR released Mustafizur Rahman ahead of IPL 2026.
The three-time champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, entered 2025 as the defending champions. But they failed to make any impact and finished the edition in 8th place. As a result, the franchise made a lot of chopping and changing in the squad during the IPL 2026 auction.
They signed Cameron Green for a record price of INR 25.20 crore and also signed Bangladesh’s star pacer Mustafizur Rahman for INR 9.2 crore. However, due to the political tensions between India and Bangladesh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed KKR to release Mustafizur.
This resulted in heavy criticism and chaos ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Bangladesh refused to travel to India. As a result, they were replaced by Scotland in the eleventh hour. Now, the three-time IPL winners have confirmed the replacement for Mustafizur Rahman.
Blessing Muzarabani replaces Rahman in the Knight Riders squad
KKR will start their IPL 2026 campaign with a game against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on March 29. With only two weeks left in the tournament to start, KKR are in a hurry to find an ideal replacement, considering two of their fast bowlers are currently not completely fit.
Harshit Rana is in his rehab, while Matheesha Pathirana suffered a calf injury and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026. This leaves KKR with no option but to look for a reliable overseas player as an immediate replacement for Rahman.
Now their search ends on Zimbabwe’s pacer Blessing Muzarabani. Ahead of the upcoming season, Blessing replaces Mustafizur Rahman in the KKR squad. Blessing was part of RCB’s title-winning squad last edition, replacing Lungi Ngidi for the last few matches.
Blessing has been in terrific form and finished the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 as the fourth-highest wicket-taker. He took 13 wickets in six games, including 4/17 against Australia, which helped Zimbabwe to qualify for the Super 8 round.
Blessing is very tall and uses his height to best effect. He can be a canny customer to handle on Indian pitches. The pacer is signed to feature in the upcoming PSL 2026 for Islamabad United. He replaced injured Shamar Joseph for PKR 1.1 crore.
However, he withdrew from the PSL after being selected by the Knight Riders for IPL 2026. Something similar happened last season as well, when South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch left Peshawar Zalmi to join the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Why did KKR release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad?
Amidst political tension, the Kolkata Knight Riders released Mustafizur Rahman as per the BCCI’s instructions.
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Karan Rawat is a seasoned cricket writer with a deep passion for the game and over 5 years of experience covering everything that the game can offer. He loves to share the analysis, match reports, and player profiles and tries to bring stories to life with a unique blend of statistics and storytelling. Whether breaking down Test match tactics or capturing the drama of a T20 thriller, Karan's work connects fans with the soul of the sport.