Akash Deep has become the second Indian pacer to be ruled out of IPL 2026 for Kolkata Knight Riders after Harshit Rana.

He has failed to recover in time from a lower-back stress injury and is currently recuperating at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He will need three months to return to full fitness following his rehabilitation.

Another pacer, Matheesha Pathirana, will miss at least the first half of the tournament after Sri Lanka Cricket revealed on Friday that he is yet to undergo the mandatory physical performance test required for the Board’s No Objection Certificate.

KKR have already got Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman, but beyond that, their pace bowling resources now appear thin. The franchise will now have to seek a replacement to bolster their attack. They had been in two minds after Harshit was ruled out following a knee surgery.

Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik and Kartik Tyagi are the Indian pacers currently in the KKR squad. Several others are with the franchise for trials as they look to rebuild a depleted bowling unit.

Akash’s injury follows a hectic domestic season for Bengal. He is also understood to be nursing a left heel injury. The 29-year-old Bengal pacer had been picked by the franchise at his base price of ₹1 crore at last year’s mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.

KKR start their campaign with an away fixture against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede next Sunday.

Fear factor gone

KKR’s bowling attack has come under much scrutiny and former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin thinks it no longer carries the
same aura of fear and the “novelty factor” around their mystery spinners.

“I don’t think oppositions will be worried after looking at KKR’s bowling attack. I think the mystery factor, the novelty factor, and the fear, that particular facet, would have gone. Earlier, batters used to go to the analyst’s room, watch the bowler’s hand, or just look to take a single,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“Varun (Chakravarthy) is at a stage in his career where he has to find answers.
But, it is natural for every cricketer’s progress and his career. I think the novelty factor is out,” he said.

Ashwin also noted that seasoned all-rounder Sunil Narine’s effectiveness has diminished, particularly with restrictions on his variations.

“Sunil Narine also cannot bowl the faster ball anymore, because of his action. Eden Gardens is a small ground, so now it becomes easy for the opposition to say, ‘Hey, you know what, here is a team that is not going to make me scared, so let us go after them’,” he added.

Ashwin stressed that without the element of surprise, KKR’s bowlers could find it increasingly difficult to contain aggressive batting line-ups.

“After the auction, I had said that KKR’s bowling attack is solid. But now, Mustafizur Rahman is not there. (Matheesha) Pathirana’s injury is there, Harshit Rana has been ruled out,” he said. “KKR have the blessing of Blessing Muzarabani. He has worked hard and I am excited to see them, but with all the injuries plaguing them, somebody has to do the heavy lifting. I can’t see anyone who can do that.”