Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nair He said that it is unfortunate that Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has been unable to bowl so far in the 2026 Indian Premier League. He said that the long-term plan of the franchise is to groom Green as the successor to Andre Russell.
Green, who was bought by KKR for a whopping ₹25.2 crore in last year's IPL auction, did not bowl in the season-opening six-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Cricket Australia confirmed that his bowling workload is currently limited due to a lower back injury, with a return to bowling expected in 10-12 days.
“There are things that happen sometimes which are very unfortunate; it's not in your control, but that's the game, and that's the beauty of the game. So, we always consider the best-case scenario. Yes, you want backups; you pick players who do certain things,” Nair was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports at the pre-match press conference.
“But when we went into the auction, it was very simple: if Russell wasn't there, who is the next best all-rounder who we felt could add a lot of value to the world and take Russell's legacy forward in a different role? We felt Cam Green could do that for us. It's unfortunate he hasn't been able to bowl yet,” he said.
Nair said that KKR had taken into account injuries and fitness updates, but ultimately chose to invest in Green for his overall all-round ability. The three-time champions are set to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 2.
“Look, the idea of picking a player at the auction is not always very short-sighted. There is obviously a horizon in it. You look at what a player has done over a number of years and how much skill he has. The game is interesting that way, in that sometimes you pick a player with a certain skill, and sometimes they may even have the skill you are talking about and not perform. But for us, Cameron Green, the cricketer and all-rounder, is really important. You take a lot of things into consideration, whether there is an injury, fitness update, but ultimately, I think when the auction happens and when the tournament happens, it is not immediate,” Nair said.
“So whatever decision you take, you don't know what the future holds and what the future holds. So in that aspect, as a franchise we always invest in the player and what the player can bring to our table by playing his best, and we know what Cam Green can do,” he said.
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