After Harshit Rana KKR dealt another injury blow, Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "After Harshit Rana KKR dealt another injury blow, Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026")
After Harshit Rana KKR dealt another injury blow, Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026 Photograph: (AFP)
Akash Deep who made headlines during India's tour of England last year in the red-ball format will miss the entire season. The injury crisis comes after Harshit Rana and new signing Matheesha Pathirana are also struggling with injuries.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been dealt a huge blow a week before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season after star bowler Akash Deep was ruled out on Saturday (Mar 21). The Indian pacer who made headlines during India's tour of England last year in the red-ball format will miss the entire season. The injury crisis comes after Harshit Rana and new signing Matheesha Pathirana are also struggling with injuries.
Akash Deep ruled out
A top official from Kolkata Knight Riders has confirmed the development to Cricbuzz. "Unfortunately, he is out of the IPL, ruled out for the season," the KKR official said. The 29-year-old Bengal pacer was picked by the franchise at his base price of INR 1 crore at last year's mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.
Akash Deep was not part of the franchise's preparatory camp, having instead been at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence for rehabilitation. His absence adds to a growing list of concerns in KKR's fast-bowling department.
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Harshit Rana is all but ruled out, while Matheesha Pathirana is expected to miss parts of the first half of the tournament, leaving the side short on both availability and experience. KKR had already made a change in the lead-up to the season, bringing in Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman, but beyond that, their fast-bowling resources now appear thin.
Their Indian seam options currently comprise Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik and Kartik Tyagi, with Cameron Green providing a seam-bowling allrounder option. The franchise is also conducting trials for an Indian fast bowler, with a replacement for Rana a priority as they look to rebuild a depleted pace attack ahead of the new season.
