Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana is likely to miss a major part of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
The young fast bowler suffered the injury just before the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which was co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
According to reports, Rana underwent surgery in February. He had picked up the injury during a warm-up match before the World Cup. The injury happened during India’s practice game against South Africa national cricket team.
The report said that Rana suffered a ligament strain in his right knee after bowling just one over in the match. After the injury, he was ruled out of the tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India medical team is currently monitoring his recovery.
At present, there is no clear timeline for his return to competitive cricket. Rana is undergoing rehabilitation and working with the medical staff to regain full fitness.
KKR look for other pace options
If Rana misses the entire IPL season, it will be another big setback for the young pacer. He had already missed the T20 World Cup 2026, a tournament that India national cricket team eventually won.
Rana was replaced in the World Cup squad by Mohammed Siraj. Siraj played only one match in the tournament. That game came against the United States national cricket team at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, KKR will also be without Mustafizur Rahman this season. The Bangladeshi left-arm seamer was released by the franchise because of geopolitical tensions between India and Bangladesh.
As a replacement, the team signed Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani. The tall pacer recently pulled out of the Pakistan Super League after agreeing to join KKR.
Despite these setbacks, the three-time IPL champions still have several pace bowling options. The squad includes Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Akash Deep, Umran Malik and Kartik Tyagi.
All-rounders Cameron Green and Ramandeep Singh can also support the pace attack if required.
KKR will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium. The team will also face Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants at home in their upcoming matches.
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