With Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are going through a bit of a crisis at the moment, as their pacers Akash Deep and Harshit Rana have been ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 due to injury. Moreover, their INR 18 crore signing Matheesha Pathirana too is yet to recover from an injury and will is expected to miss the initial stages of the season.
Hence, we look at three options KKR could go for as their replacement.
Akash Madhwal
32-year-old Akash Madhwal had an excellent first season in the IPL, where he finished with 14 wickets for Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023, including 5/5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). But his form dipped in the next two seasons as he picked up just nine more wickets. However, his experience in the IPL and at the domestic level with Uttarakhand will make him an ideal candidate to walk into the KKR dressing room
Simarjeet Singh
Simarjeet Singh built a reputation at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as someone who could deliver in crunch situations, but his performance last year with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) was a letdown. Nevertheless, KKR could use someone like him, especially at Eden Gardens, where there is often something in it for the pacers, especially in the initial stages of the innings.
Navdep Saini
Delhi fast bowler Navdeep Saini could never replicate the success he tasted with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2019 again. He picked up 11 wickets in his debut season, but has managed just 12 more wickets since then. Moreover, he has not played in the IPL over the last couple of seasons. However, his experience could be a vital factor as KKR’s Indian pace contingent now consists of just Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi and Umran Malik. This could be a great opportunity for the 34-year-old to redeem his career.
