Kolkata Knight Riders handed IPL debut with Vidarbha to left-arm spinner Saurabh Dubey for their must-win encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Wednesday, with Varun Chakaravarthy ruled out due to a niggle.
RCB vs KKR, IPL 2026: UPDATE | SCORECARD
A wet pitch following rain delayed the tossing at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium by more than an hour, though no overs were lost in the end. While the pitch covers were removed before the scheduled start, large areas of the pitch remained covered as the umpires carried out several inspections.
Once play was allowed to begin, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar opted to bowl first, banking on the seam-friendly conditions that had plagued the batsmen during Bengaluru’s previous match against Mumbai Indians at the same venue.
However, the bigger talking point for KKR was the absence of Varun Chakaravarthy. The mystery spinner, one of Kolkata’s most influential bowlers this season, missed the must-win game after sustaining a leg injury in the match against Delhi Capitals.
“Varun Chakarvarthy is out, with a niggle. Saurabh Dubey is coming in,” KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane confirmed at the toss.
Who is Saurabh Dubey?
Saurabh Dubey is a left-arm medium fast bowler from Vidarbha who has built a reputation for extracting steep bounce with his towering 6’5” frame and efficient swing of the new ball.
Hailing from Wardha, Maharashtra, Dubey first gained attention in 2019 when he emerged as India’s leading wicket-taker at the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Subsequently, he was seen as a promising fast bowling prospect in domestic cricket.
In List-A cricket, Dubey took 16 wickets in eight matches for Vidarbha, although opportunities at the senior level remained limited. He has played only 11 senior matches overall and has not featured in competitive cricket since a T20 match for Vidarbha in October 2023.
Despite the long layoff, Dubey impressed in the Vidarbha Pro T20 League while representing the Orange Tigers last year, which helped him get back on the IPL radar.
His IPL journey has been a story of perseverance. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him in 2022 but injury cut short his season before he could feature. He later worked as a net bowler for Mumbai Indians while continuing to search for his next breakthrough opportunity.
KKR eventually signed Dubey as a replacement for injured Indian pacer Akash Deep after conducting extensive trials during their training camp in Kolkata. Several domestic fast bowlers, including Navdeep Saini, KM Asif, Simarjeet Singh, Akash Madhwal and Sandeep Warrier, were evaluated before the franchise settled on Dubey.
Akash Deep has been ruled out for the season with a lower back injury, while Harshit Rana has also been struggling with a knee problem, forcing KKR to beef up their cruise control.
Dubey now joins a fast-bowling group that includes Matheesha Pathirana, Blessing Muzarabani, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi and Umran Malik, with Cameron Green providing another seam option.
Meanwhile, RCB have also reshuffled their combination for the clash with Raipur. Jacob Duffy replaced leg-spinner Suyash Sharma while Romario Shepherd made way for Venkatesh Iyer. Devdutt Padikkal was named among the alternate Impact Players.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
13 May 2026 20:57 IST
