Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana is likely to miss most of the Indian Premier League 2026 after undergoing knee surgery in February. The young pacer is currently rehabilitating, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India medical team is yet to put a particular timeline on his unavailability from competitive cricket.
Rana had picked up the injury during India’s warm-up cricket match against South Africa national cricket team ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He offered discomfort to bowl one over and was later diagnosed with ligament strain in his right knee. The injury ruled him out of the tournament, with Mohammed Siraj replacing him in the Indian squad.
Rana missing out on the whole IPL series would mean that he will have missed two successive major tournaments due to injuries. However, the pacer recently added another feather to his cap after being awarded Best International Debutant at the BCCI’s annual awards ceremony.
On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman’s absence has also hit KKR’s bowling department. Earlier this year, due to some geopolitical issues between India and Bangladesh, the franchise was almost forced to release the Bangladeshi pacer. In his place, the team signed Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, who withdrew from a contract to play for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.
KKR do have a few pace options in the can, with Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Akash Deep, Umran Malik, and Kartik Tyagi all available to them along with all-rounders Cameron Green and Ramandeep Singh. There had been earlier concerns about Pathirana’s fitness after he missed the T20 World Cup with a calf strain, but his participation in the IPL is not expected to be impacted at present.
KKR will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on March 29. The team will have their next home games against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants as they commence their quest for another IPL title.
