Major setback for KKR as Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026 season with back injury

March 21, 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered another setback to their pace attack, with India seamer Akash Deep ruled out for at least eight weeks due to a stress reaction in his lower back. This effectively sidelines him from the IPL 2026 season.

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

"Akash Deep has had a stress reaction on his lower back. There has been a 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 told PTI.

The 29-year-old Bengal pacer was last seen in action during the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir. He looked short of full fitness, bowling just 13 overs in the first innings and fewer than seven in the second. He has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and did not join KKR’s preparatory camp, which began on Wednesday.

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

Kolkata Knight Riders' pacer Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a lower back injury #IPL pic.twitter.com/9yeopA6RM0

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 21, 2026

Growing Injury Woes

Akash Deep joins KKR’s growing list of injured fast bowlers, which includes Harshit Rana and their ₹18-crore Sri Lankan recruit Matheesha Pathirana, further weakening the team’s pace attack. While Pathirana has reportedly been given fitness clearance by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, he is yet to arrive at the training camp.

With Akash Deep and Rana unavailable, KKR will rely heavily on domestic options such as Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, and a fit-again Umran Malik.

KKR, who finished eighth in their title defence last season, were already without Harshit Rana, recovering from a ligament strain in his right knee. Mustafizur Rahman was released earlier this year following a BCCI directive, prompting KKR to sign Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement.

The Abhishek Nayar-coached and Ajinkya Rahane-led franchise has also been scouting replacements, holding trials for several IPL-experienced pacers, including Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, KM Asif, and Sandeep Warrier. Among them, Madhwal, who grabbed attention with a 5/5 for Mumbai Indians in the 2023 Eliminator, is reportedly ahead in the race, though the franchise has not yet announced a replacement.

Speaking on Friday, Nayar said the management is close to finalizing a replacement and hopes to do so before leaving for their IPL opener in Mumbai on April 29. The squad will depart for Mumbai on April 25.

"It (Harshit Rana's absence) is a big blow because Harshit has been an important part of this team for the last few seasons, including the championship season. Over the last year, he's really grown as a cricketer. So we always miss Harshit Rana. But over the last few days, we have been evaluating a few bowlers with our leadership group to see who can fill that role. Hopefully, we will identify someone who can make a difference," Nayar said.

However, team mentor Dwayne Bravo insisted that KKR have enough depth to cope with the setbacks.

"In any tournament, losing key bowlers is not ideal, but these are things you have to accept. The good thing about Indian cricket is that there is a lot of depth. Players like Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, and Vaibhav Arora are young and exciting talents. We lost some key players, but I feel confident that we can replace them. From a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine," Bravo added.