KOLKATA: In a big blow to Kolkata Knight Riders, pacer Harshit Rana was on Friday ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 owing to the ligament injury that he sustained during a warm-up match ahead of the recent T20 World Cup.
The fast bowler suffered a ligament strain in his right knee during India's T20 World Cup warm-up game against South Africa, following which he underwent surgery in February, needing an extensive rehabilitation process.
"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," KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar said, without giving a confirmed timeline for Rana's return to action.
"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," Nayar added.
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.
Navdeep Saini, Akash Madhwal, Simarjeet Singh, Sandeep Warrier and KM Asif are some of the fast bowlers who were seen at the Eden Gardens this week, training ahead of the IPL.
The IPL start on March 28, and KKR's campaign starts against Mumbai Indians on March 29, followed by their first home match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 2.
As far as Varun Chakravarthy's form is concerned, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane believed the break after the T20 World Cup will be good for the spinner, who went for plenty of runs in the mega event at home in February-March.
"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.
"I think this 10-day break really helped him after especially coming after a high-intensity tournament to another high-intensity tournament," Rahane said.
Chakravarthy was the top wicket-taker in the mega event alongside Jasprit Bumrah with 14 wickets, but gave away 9.25 runs an over for his scalps.