Kolkata Knight Riders are heading into IPL 2026 facing another major blow to their pace department. After head coach Abhishek Nayar confirmed on Friday that Harshit Rana would miss the entire season, a day later, Cricbuzz has emerged that Akash Deep is also ruled out and will not join KKR’s camp at all this year.
Earlier, KKR had to release Mustafizur Rahman due to the India-Bangladesh conflict, while Matheesha Pathirana is still waiting for clearance from Sri Lanka Cricket regarding his fitness. With these setbacks, KKR’s fast-bowling options are now thin, leaving the team to rely on a pace attack they hadn’t even planned for during the auction.
Akash Deep had been acquired at his base price of INR 1 crore in the mini-auction, and the franchise is now actively searching for replacements. Alongside the ongoing search for someone to fill Harshit’s spot, KKR will have to shuffle strategies to cope with a significantly weakened pace line-up. Akash’s career progress has repeatedly been interrupted by injuries, raising doubts about his reliability in the IPL. Since making his debut in 2022, he has managed only 14 appearances across four seasons, picking up 10 wickets, reflecting how fitness issues have limited both his opportunities and overall impact.
KKR’s think tank has begun trials to fill Harshit’s spot, with Navdeep Saini, Akash Madhwal, Simarjeet Singh, Sandeep Warrier, and KM Asif participating in practice matches. With Akash joining on the sidelines, the team could be considering bringing in two replacements to strengthen their pace attack.
They have already confirmed Blessing Muzarabani as Mustafizur’s replacement, but finding suitable replacements for Harshit and Akash’s absences remains a key challenge as the franchise looks to maintain its competitiveness in IPL 2026. Although Muzarabani was among the prominent bowlers in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup, finishing as the joint third-highest wicket-taker with 13 scalps as Zimbabwe made it to the Super Eights stage.
Doubts over Pathirana’s participation
Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana’s injury has also disturbed KKR’s plans ahead of the new season.
“Matheesha Pathirana, who has requested NOC to participate in IPL 2026, is yet to undergo the Physical Performance Test, as he is still undergoing rehabilitation to recover from injury sustained. He will undergo the tests upon completion of the recovery and rehabilitation programs,” the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) later said in a release.
