Star Indian pacer Harshit Rana is set to miss the major portion of the 2026 IPL season due to a knee injury, dealing a massive blow to three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders as the tournament is expected to kick off on March 28.
Rana will miss the bulk of the IPL 2026 season after recently undergoing knee surgery in February 2026.
Due to the injury, Rana also missed the T20 World Cup and is currently undergoing rehabilitation. The BCCI has not made any official announcement on the pacer’s return.
If Rana misses the entire edition, it will be his second straight tournament he will miss after the World Cup.
He suffered a ligament strain in his right knee after pulling out following just one over in the warm-up match against South Africa before the start of the T20 World Cup.
Without Rana’s presence in the team, Kolkata will find it difficult to balance their bowling attack. Since the team will be playing without star Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, as he was removed from the squad.
It is important to note that Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Akash Deep, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, and all-rounders Cameron Green and Ramandeep Singh are the fast bowling options for Kolkata Knight Riders, though concerns over injuries in the pace attack loom over other bowlers as well.
Kolkata is set to face Mumbai Indians in their first IPL 2026 game at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.
Also read: Surya open to Tests, but ‘comfortable’ playing T20s
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