NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders have been dealt a major setback ahead of IPL 2026, with key pacer Harshit Rana ruled out for the entire season due to a knee injury.
The young fast bowler picked up the injury during a T20 World Cup warm-up match and has since undergone surgery, leaving the team scrambling to fill the gap.
Head coach Abhishek Nayar admitted Rana’s absence will be tough to handle, given his importance to the team in recent seasons.
“It is a big blow because Harshit Rana has been an integral part of this team for the last couple of seasons, also the championship season. Over the last year, he’s really grown as a cricketer,” Nayar told reporters in the pre-season press conference.
“We will always miss Harshit Rana, it’s not easy to replace him.
But over the last few days, we’ve looked at a few bowlers as to who fits in and who can do that role to the best of their prowess. Hopefully, we’ll take a call in a couple of days,” he added.
KKR have been trying out several pacers in training as they search for the right replacement.
More injury concerns for KKR?
To make matters worse, Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana is also recovering from injury and is yet to be cleared to play, adding to KKR’s worries.
However, there is some positive news around spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Despite an expensive outing in the T20 World Cup, captain Ajinkya Rahane backed him to bounce back.
“I don’t see any problem with Varun’s bowling ability… In the T20 World Cup, opposition batters played him (Varun Chakravarthy) really well. Let’s give credit to them rather than talking about Varun,” Rahane said.
“I think this 10-day break really helped him after especially coming after a high-intensity tournament to another high-intensity tournament,” Rahane added.
With the season starting soon, KKR will hope to overcome these challenges quickly.
