Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Harshit Rana is likely to miss a significant part of IPL 2026 as he is recovering from a knee surgery that he underwent just before the start. t20 world cup 2026Co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
According to reports, Rana had undergone surgery in February after suffering a knee injury during India's T20 World Cup warm-up game against South Africa. The young player is currently undergoing rehabilitation and the medical team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet set any clear timeline for his return.
If he misses the entire season, it would be another big blow for Rana, who was already ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026, a tournament which India ultimately won. The report also mentioned that Rana suffered a ligament strain in his right knee after bowling just one over in the warm-up match. He was replaced by Mohammed Siraj, who played only one game during the tournament, against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, KKR will also be without Bangladeshi left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026. The franchise was asked to release him due to geopolitical tensions between India and Bangladesh. As a replacement, they have recently included Zimbabwean fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, who recently withdrew from the PSL after signing with KKR.
The three-time IPL winners still have several fast bowling options in the squad, including Mathisha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Akash Deep, Umran Malik and Karthik Tyagi as well as all-rounders Cameron Green and Ramandeep Singh. There were concerns about Pathirana's fitness earlier too, as he missed the T20 World Cup due to a calf injury. However, at that time it was expected that his IPL availability would not be affected.
KKR will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium. They also have to face Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on home ground in their upcoming matches.
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