Harshit Rana (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders have suffered a major setback ahead of IPL 2026 as key pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out for the entire season with a knee injury. The young fast bowler picked up the injury during the T20 World Cup warm-up match and has since undergone surgery, leaving the team scrambling to fill the gap.
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Ajit Agarkar is knocking on BCCI’s door asking for a huge extension | World CupHead coach Abhishek Nayar admitted that Rana’s absence will be difficult to manage given his importance to the team in recent seasons.“It’s a big blow because Harshit Rana has been an integral part of this team for the last couple of seasons, the championship season as well. He has really grown as a cricketer over the last year,” Nayar told reporters at a pre-season press conference.“We will always miss Harshit Rana, it is not easy to replace him. But in the last few days we have looked at a couple of bowlers who are suitable for us and who can play the role best. Hopefully we will hear from you in a few days,” he added.KKR are trialling several pacers in training in search of the right replacement.
Another injury concern for KKR?
To make matters worse, Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana is also recovering from injury and is yet to be cleared for the game, adding to KKR’s worries.However, there is some positive news surrounding spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Despite a costly outing in the T20 World Cup, captain Ajinkya Rahane has backed him to bounce back.“I don’t see any problem with Varun’s bowling ability… In the T20 World Cup, the opponents played him (Varun Chakravarthy) really well. Let’s give them credit rather than talk about Varun,” Rahane said.“I think this 10-day break has really helped him after coming from a high-intensity tournament to another high-intensity tournament,” Rahane added.As the season begins, KKR will hope to overcome these challenges quickly.
