Why are KKR not looking to replace Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana in IPL 2026 Squad?

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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have received a massive blow just days before the start of the IPL 2026 season. Their star fast bowler, Harshit Rana, has been officially ruled out of the entire tournament due to a serious injury.

To make matters worse, one of the team's most expensive signing, Matheesha Pathirana, is also uncertain for the opening matches.

Harshit Rana, who played a key role in KKR's recent successes, taking 19 and 15 wickets in the 2024 and 2025 editions of the IPL respectively, suffered a knee injury during a warm-up match before the T20 World Cup. He underwent surgery in February and is currently in the recovery phase. Since the healing process takes time, he will not be able to join the team this year. This is a huge loss, as Rana was expected to lead the Indian pace attack and bowl the crucial death overs.

Why are KKR not looking for Replacements?

But despite losing two premier pacers, the Kolkata Knight Riders are confident to not add any other pacers in their squad.

As per a report from Cricbuzz, the Knight Riders won't seek any replacements for their pace duo. The Knight Riders believe they have enough pace options in their squad already - Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora and Akash Deep being their Indian pacer pool this season.

Pathirana recently shared an update on social media, telling fans that he is still in Sri Lanka for his rehabilitation and has not yet traveled to India. While KKR management hopes he will recover soon, his availability for the first few games remains a big question mark.

Bowlers like Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi and Akash Deep now have a golden opportunity to step up and prove their worth. The team has already signed Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman, but they are likely not to replace Harshit Rana.

Despite these setbacks, the Rahane-led side remains determined to go for the title when the season kicks off on March 28, as they face Mumbai Indians in the very first match of the season.