Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Harshit Rana is likely to miss most of the matches in the Indian Premier League 2026. According to many reports coming out of the Indian media, Rana is still recovering from a knee surgery and there is no firm date for his return.
The fast bowler was recently seen at the Naman Awards 2026 where he was seen limping on crutches. According to ESPNcricinfo, the fast bowler is currently undergoing rehabilitation but the Indian Cricket Board’s medical team is yet to give him a return date.
Read the full article
If Harshit Rana misses the entire IPL, which begins on March 28, it will be the second major tournament the fast bowler has missed. Rana was ruled out of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup just days before the tournament when he bowled in a warm-up match against the South African national cricket team.
While ESPNcricinfo reported that there is a glimmer of hope regarding Harshit Rana’s return, The Tech Word News quoted sources as suggesting that Rana is likely to be ruled out of the entire IPL 2026.
“Unfortunately, Harshit Rana will not be available, but it gives an opportunity to the other bowlers in the squad – Vaibhav, Umran, Kartik and Akash – to step up and grab the opportunity. No replacement has been decided yet,” a source told the paper.
If Harshit Rana does not play, it will mean that KKR will lose their second star pacer of the campaign after Mustafizur Rahman. However, KKR signed a replacement for Mustafizur. They have called up Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani, who has been in exceptional form in the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, KKR will have to answer to their army of Indian fast bowlers like Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik and Kartik Tyagi to deliver the goods this season.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
17 March 2026 15:05 IST
