KKR's pace attack in tatters as Akash Deep becomes third fast bowler ruled out of IPL 2026
Akash Deep will play no part in IPL 2026 after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his lower back, a blow that extends KKR's injury list to three specialist seamers and leaves their pace bowling plans in disarray with the season opener against Mumbai Indians now eight days away.
Back injury rules out Akash Deep for 8-12 weeks
The India pacer has not joined KKR's pre-season camp and is instead undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Medical assessments have placed his recovery timeline at 8 to 12 weeks, which rules him out of the entire group stage and raises doubts over his availability for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in early June.
His absence follows the loss of Harshit Rana, who suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee during India's T20 World Cup warm-up match against South Africa on February 4 in Navi Mumbai. Rana underwent surgery shortly after and has no confirmed return date. KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar confirmed on March 20 that Rana will miss the full season.
Pathirana expected to miss opening weeks
KKR signing Matheesha Pathirana, bought for 18 crore at the December auction, is not expected to be match-fit until mid-April at the earliest. The Sri Lankan quick suffered a calf strain during the T20 World Cup group stage and has only recently completed his rehabilitation programme. Sri Lanka Cricket declared him fit on March 20, but KKR plan to run their own fitness assessments before putting him in the playing XI.
That means Kolkata could begin the season without three bowlers they were counting on to form the core of their seam attack.
Spin still strong, but pace options thin
KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo has tried to calm the nerves, pointing to the quality of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in spin and the availability of Vaibhav Arora as a seam option. The franchise has also been trialling replacement bowlers, with Navdeep Saini, Akash Madhwal, Simarjeet Singh, Sandeep Warrier and KM Asif all getting a look during net sessions.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane backed Chakravarthy on March 21 after the spinner's expensive outings in the later stages of the T20 World Cup, saying the team trusted him to bounce back. Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis went further, calling Narine and Chakravarthy "two absolute cannons" and urging KKR to prepare spin-friendly surfaces at Eden Gardens.
Cameron Green in camp but questions remain
Record-breaking signing Cameron Green, who cost 25.20 crore at the auction, has arrived in Kolkata and took part in KKR's intra-squad practice match. But the Australian all-rounder's recent form has drawn criticism, with former Australian captain questioning whether the investment was justified. With Green's bowling workload likely to increase given the seam shortages, KKR will need him firing with bat and ball from the first match.
KKR open their campaign at home, and how they fill the pace gap in those early matches could define their season.
