IPL 2026: Akash Deep Ruled Out with Back Injury, KKR Faces Pace Bowling Crisis

Published

1 month ago

March 21, 2026

Kolkata Knight Riders suffered yet another blow to their pace resources with India seamer Akash Deep ruled out for at least eight weeks due to a stress reaction in lower back on Saturday, which effectively sidelined him from the Indian Premier League.

The injury has also put the right-arm pacer in serious doubt for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in early June.

“Akash Deep has had stress reaction on his lower back. There has been recurrence and it might take 8-12 weeks to heal. He is not going to play the IPL and is very unlikely to be selected against Afghanistan,” a BCCI source in the know told PTI.

The 29-year-old Bengal pacer, who was last seen in action during the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir, had looked short of full fitness, bowling just 13 overs in the first innings and under seven in the second.

He has since been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and did not join KKR preparatory camp which began here on Wednesday.

“It will take considerable time for healing, workload adaptation followed by Return To Play protocols. So conservative estimate of recovery will be around 10 weeks but it could take more time,” the board source added.

KKR’s Injury Woes Mount

Akash Deep is the latest addition to the three-time champions’ growing injury list which includes India pacer Harshit Rana and their Rs 18-crore Sri Lankan recruit Matheesha Pathirana, further depleting the franchise’s fast-bowling stocks.

With Akash Deep and Rana unavailable, KKR will have to rely heavily on their remaining domestic options, including Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi and a fit-again Umran Malik.

KKR, who finished a poor eighth in their title defence last season, are already without Rana, who is recovering from a ligament strain in his right knee.

The left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman had to be released earlier this year following a BCCI directive, prompting KKR to rope in Zimbabwe quick Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement.

Searching for Replacements

The Abhishek Nayar-coached and Ajinkya Rahane-led franchise has also been scouting replacements and held trials featuring several IPL-experienced pacers, including Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, KM Asif and Sandeep Warrier.

Among them, Madhwal, who grabbed attention with a stunning 5/5 for Mumbai Indians in the 2023 Eliminator, appears to be ahead in the race, though the franchise is yet to announce a replacement.

Nayar on Friday said the management is close to finalising a replacement and would do it before leaving for their IPL opener in Mumbai on April 29. The squad will leave for Mumbai on April 25.

“It (Harshit Rana’s absence) is a big blow because Harshit has been an integral part of this team for the last couple of seasons, also the championship season. Over the last year, he’s really grown as a cricketer. So we always miss Harshit Rana.”

“But having said that, over the last few days, we’ve been having looking at a few bowlers, we’ve had to evaluate with the help of our leadership group as to who fits in and who can do that role to the best of their prowess. Hopefully we’ll identify someone who we feel can make a difference,” Nayar said.

Bravo Remains Optimistic

However, team mentor Dwayne Bravo does not believe it’s a worry and insisted that they have enough depth to cope with the setbacks.

“In any tournament with any team, once you lose some of the key bowling options, these are not things you plan for, but these are things you have to accept,” Bravo said on Friday.

“The good thing about Indian cricket, especially at the moment, there’s a lot of depth. There’re the likes of Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora… they are young, exciting talents. We lost some key players, but I feel comfortable to know that we have what it takes to replace those guys. From a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine,” he said.

Related Topics:Akash Deep IPL 2026 Kolkata Knight Riders

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Punjab Kings register biggest T20 run chase of 265 against Delhi Capitals

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2026

Staff Reporter

Punjab Kings, the chase masters have added another feather to their illustrious cap as they have hunted down a mammoth 265 against the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2026 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, IPL 2026.

The Kings have yet again registered the highest chase in T20 cricket ever, breaking down their own previous record when they hunted down 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.

Chasing a daunting 264 after KL Rahul’s unbeaten 152 and Nitish Rana’s 91 powered Delhi to 264 for 2, Punjab needed a fearless start. What followed was one of the most explosive powerplay displays in IPL history. Arya and Prabhsimran took DC’s bowlers to the cleaners, racing to 100 in just 5.2 overs, the second-fastest team hundred in IPL history.

Thereafter, captain Shreyas Iyer (71 off 36 balls) with ample support from Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh at the other end paced the chase to perfection to take his side to a memorable win with seven balls to spare.

‘I have no answers’: Pant admits batting collapse

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2026

Staff Reporter

A distraught Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant did not have any answer for his team’s defence after a morale-crushing 40-run defeat against Lucknow Super Giants in an IPL match, other than accepting the responsibility that his side didn’t read the surface properly.

Pant’s Reaction To The Defeat

“I don’t have answers. Batting has let us down. We are disappointed as a team, as a group,” Pant said after his team were skittled out for 119 chasing a small 160-run target.

“You have to look for answers inside, not outside. We could have taken some time while batting. No excuses out there. Including myself, we could have taken it deeper. As a batting group, we have to put our hands up,” Pant offered a feeble explanation.

Mohammed Shami’s bowling effort stood out and Pant found that to be a silver lining.

“We have to look at positives. We have to keep our head high and look for answers inside. We have the firepower to turn the season around.”

Other Players’ Perspectives

Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag knew that there was help off the surface.

“We knew it would swing, the lines and lengths they (Nandre Burger and Jofra Archer) bowled, impressive. The message on the groups have been very positive,” Riyan said after the match.

On his own poor show, Riyan said that he has been going through some personal crisis and the team stands firmly behind him.

“I had gone through something, even now I am going through something and everyone understands that,” he said.

Jadeja’s Performance And Dedication

Ravindra Jadeja, whose unbeaten 43 proved to be crucial, dedicated the award to his wife Rivaba, the current education minister of Gujarat, for her encouraging phone call ahead of the game.

“I want to dedicate the award to the education minister (wife Rivaba Jadeja) of Gujarat. She said yesterday that I will do well and I did.”

He conceded that the wicket wasn’t easy for batting.

“Wicket was not easy to bat because the ball was seaming and swinging. I wanted to play long as much as I can. In T20 cricket, you never know last over you can cash in and we did.”

He knew that Mayank Yadav is coming back after a long injury lay-off and wanted to attack him consciously, getting 20 off the final over.

“Not easy coming back from injury. I was just backing my strength. I was telling my partner to wait and go after the bowling.”

His celebration after dismissing Nicholas Pooran and gesturing that he is in his “pocket” was well received by the supporters.

“The ball was gripping so I was thinking whether I should bowl quicker or slow. When bowling slow, I got some hold and that helped,” he said.

Mohammed Nawaz under PCB investigation following positive recreational drug test

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2026

Staff Reporter

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammed Nawaz is under investigation by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following the emergence of a positive drug test for recreational drug usage, reported ESPNCricinfo.

Consequently, Nawaz’s deal with Surrey and participation in the T20 Blast tournament have fallen through. The all-rounder is a pivotal part of Pakistan’s white-ball line-up, particularly in T20Is.

A spokesperson from PCB told ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday, ” The International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about this matter, and PCB has begun the due process. The results of this process will be communicated to the ICC today.”

As per ESPNCricinfo, the positive result first emerged during tests held during the T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February to March this year. Pakistan played all seven of their matches till their Super Eight stage finish in Sri Lanka as part of the hybrid model. Nawaz had a modest tournament with bat and ball, scoring 15 runs and taking seven wickets.

Nawaz had agreed for a deal with Surrey and was supposed to feature in the T20 Blast tournament taking place from May 26 to June 18. Even a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) was given to Nawaz, as announced by PCB weeks back, and Surrey had planned to unveil him as their newest signee this week.

But now with plans falling through, Surrey has not commented on the matter so far. However, the all-rounder is enjoying a decent run with Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), having taken six wickets in eight matches at an average of 32.66 and bowling three wicketless overs in their six-wicket victory over Rawalpindiz in Karachi on Tuesday night.

So far, the International Cricket Council (ICC) have made no comments on the matter.