IPL 2026: CSK name James Foster as fielding coach; KKR opt against replacing injured Rana, Pathirana

IPL 2026 is 12 sleeps away, and plenty continues to happen on the sidelines. In the latest development surrounding two former champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has named former England keeper James Foster as their new fielding coach, and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have decided against replacing the injured pace duo of Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana for the upcoming season.

Foster has joined CSK’s coaching staff and will work under the head coach, Stephen Fleming. A seasoned coach in the franchise T20 circuit, Foster will bring his experience to the CSK camp, which plays their tournament opener against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in an away clash on Sunday (Mar 29).

Having represented England 23 times during 2001 and 2009, Foster took up a coaching post after his retirement in 2018. Foster helped Desert Vipers lift the ILT20 title last year as the head coach. Recently, Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred appointed him as the assistant coach, while Foster has also worked with both England and New Zealand on an international scale.

Foster is, however, not new to IPL coaching, having previously worked as a fielding and assistant coach with the KKR for several seasons. At CSK, Foster will work closely with Michael Hussey (CSK’s batting coach) and Eric Simmons (CSK’s bowling coach).

No need for replacements

On the other hand, the 2024 IPL champions, KKR, decided against replacing the two injured first-team quicks in Rana and Pathirana. Rana, who withdrew his name from India’s T20 World Cup squad at the last minute due to a knee injury, will remain unavailable for KKR this season, as he needs time to recover after undergoing surgery.

The KKR management, however, believes they have enough Indian bowlers in the squad, including Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi and Akash Deep, and find no reason to replace Rana.

Pathirana was also part of Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup campaign, but was ruled out midway through the tournament with an injury. Bought for INR 18 crore at the last IPL auction, Pathirana is likely unavailable for the first half of IPL 2026.

KKR, however, expects him to attain full fitness and announce his availability at some point during this edition; as a result, they ruled out replacing him with an overseas quick.

IPL 2026 begins on March 28. RCB will host SRH in the tournament opener at the M Chinnaswamy.