Big blow to Kolkata Knight Riders, Harshit Rana out of IPL 2026

Updated: 13-03-2026, 03.41 PM

What is the news?

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is going to start from March 28. Before this, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has suffered a big setback.
times of India According to the report, the team’s all-rounder player Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the entire tournament due to injury. Till now no other player has been selected in his place. Harshit was also a part of the T20 World Cup 2026, but due to injury he could not play the tournament.

Muzarabani became part of KKR team

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had thrown Mustafizur Rahman out of the IPL. He was bought by KKR for Rs 9.2 crore. Now in place of Rahman, Zimbabwe cricket team’s fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has become a part of the team. KKR has announced it officially. Muzarabani has left PSL and become a part of IPL. In the T-20 World Cup 2026, this player took 13 wickets in 6 matches at an excellent average of 14.46.

Who will get the chance in place of Harshit?

After Harshit’s injury, KKR has not yet decided to include any player in his place. The team management is hopeful that bowlers like Akash Deep, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik and Karthik Tyagi will take full advantage of this opportunity. A source from KKR times of India Said that Harshit will unfortunately not be available, but this will give a big opportunity to other bowlers of the team to come forward and prove themselves.

Harshit’s figures have been like this in IPL

Harshit played his first IPL match for KKR in the year 2022. He has played 34 matches so far and has been successful in taking 40 wickets in 32 innings at an average of 25.72 and economy rate of 9.51. His best bowling performance has been 3/24. In IPL 2025, this player played 13 matches and took 15 wickets in his 13 innings at an average of 29.86 and economy of 10.18.

Doubt on Mathisha Pathirana’s playing also

There is also uncertainty regarding the participation of KKR fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana in IPL 2026. Actually, he was injured during the T20 World Cup and is currently in the process of recovering from the injury. In such a situation, it is not clear whether he will be fully fit by the start of the tournament or not. The team management is constantly keeping an eye on his fitness. The final decision will be taken in case of complete health.