Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered yet another significant setback ahead of the IPL 2026 season, with India pacer Akash Deep now ruled out of the entire upcoming season.
The three times IPL champions KKR, who are already grappling with the loss of key fast bowler Harshit Rana after he was officially ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 following knee surgery after a ligament strain sustained during India’s T20 World Cup warm-up match against South Africa, now faces further disruption in its pace attack.
A Rapidly Thinning Pace Attack For KKR
According to a Cricbuzz report, India pacer Akash Deep, who was picked by the franchise at his base price of Rs 1 crore at IPL 2026 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, has not joined the KKR camp in Kolkata. He is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru undergoing rehabilitation.
While the exact nature of his injury hasn’t been disclosed, KKR officials have confirmed 29-year-old Bengal pacer will play no part in the IPL 2026 campaign.
“Unfortunately, he is out of the IPL, ruled out for the season,” the KKR official told Cricbuzz.
Notably, Akash has struggled with recurring injuries throughout his career, often forcing him to miss matches for both India and his IPL franchise. Since making his IPL debut in 2022, he has played just 14 matches across four seasons, picking up 10 wickets.
In the previous IPL season, he was part of Lucknow Super Giants, who had signed him for Rs 8 crore at the 2025 auction, but released him after just one year.
The ‘Triple Threat’ Of Absences In KKR Bowling Lineup
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR’s) bowling depth is looking alarmingly thin as they head toward their March 29 IPL 2026 campaign opener against Mumbai Indians.
Harshit Rana: Out (Knee Surgery)
Akash Deep: Out (Injury/Rehab at CoE)
Matheesha Pathirana: Uncertain (The Sri Lankan pacer is still recovering from a calf strain and has yet to pass a fitness test for his NOC).
Scouting For Injury Replacements
Head coach Abhishek Nayar and the KKR leadership group have been forced into “emergency scouting mode” at Eden Gardens.
Several unpicked pacers have been spotted undergoing trials this week, including: Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, Sandeep Warrier, KM Asif and others.
“Hopefully soon, in a couple of days I think. Obviously Harshit is with the BCCI at the CoE. Once we get an update the medical team will communicate to us. We’ll try to evaluate what we are picking before we make the announcement. (We) will take us a few more days, most probably before we leave for Mumbai,” Nayar said on Friday.
Opportunities For Others To Shine
With their frontline Indian pace duo gone, KKR will have to rely heavily on the likes of Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, and Kartik Tyagi, alongside all-rounders Cameron Green and Ramandeep Singh.
The pressure now shifts to the spin twins, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, to carry an even heavier load on what is looking like a very ‘thin’ pace battery.
