Cameron Green’s unavailability as a bowler prompts sharp reaction from KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane (IPL/BCCI) Mumbai Cricket Australia have been forced to clarify why Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is not allowed to bowl for their franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 after captain Ajinkya Rahane slapped the Australian board when asked about Green’s abstinence from bowling duties during KKR’s opening match at the Wambai Indian Stadium against Mumbai Indians.KKR failed to defend a total of 220, with Rahane blaming an inexperienced bowling unit and the true nature of the Wankhede track – the same strip that saw nearly 500 scores in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final between India and England earlier this month.
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IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan steals the show at the captains’ meet KKR have been struggling with injuries and Rahane admitted that Green’s unavailability as a bowler has upset the balance of the team.“I think hopefully if Green starts mixing soon, the mix will be a bit different,” Rahane said during the post-match interaction. “At the moment we have to see the balance and who can mix it up for us. In terms of batting, like I said, we’ve been batting really well, but finding balance with the ball is really important. So hopefully Green starts pitching early, then we can see if the combination will be OK.”And when asked why the 26-year-old wasn’t bowling, he replied: “You have to ask Cricket Australia that question,” leaving commentators Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen momentarily speechless.However, Cricket Australia responded to Rahane’s remarks by stating that Green was suffering from a lower back injury and KKR had been fully informed of the situation in advance.“Cameron has a lower back injury which is being treated but requires him to be sidelined from bowling for a short period of time,” a CA spokesman said, as quoted by FOX Sports.“Cameron is currently rehabilitating his bowling costs in India with a view to return in approximately 10-12 days. KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information,” the report further said, attributing it to the spokesperson.Green, the most expensive buy of the IPL 2026 auction at INR 25.20, came out to bat in one over and scored 18 off 10 balls but was not pressed into action with the ball as the Mumbai Indians batsmen had fun against an inexperienced KKR bowling unit. Every KKR bowler was taken to the cleaners by Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, who bundled out for an opening stand of 148 in just 11.1 overs.Vaibhav Arora was caught for 52 runs in his four overs while Blessing Muzarabani was bowled out for 34 runs in his three overs. Kartik Tyagi, the impact submarine, returned figures of 4-0-43-1. However, the biggest disappointment for KKR was their spin twins – Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy – who proved ineffective on the Wankhede track as they gave away 78 runs between them in seven overs.
