KKR sign ex-RCB bowler to replace injured Harshit Rana ahead of IPL 2026

Published - 25 Mar 2026, 23:02 IST | Updated - 25 Mar 2026, 23:01 IST

The three-time Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have brought in pacer Navdeep Saini as a replacement for injured fast bowler Harshit Rana for the upcoming IPL 2026 season. The franchise announced the decision on Wednesday, March 25.

Rana, who had earlier missed the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 due to injury, has now been ruled out of the IPL as well. After careful consideration, the franchise opted to rope in Saini to bolster their pace-bowling attack. This development comes shortly after KKR were forced into another change, replacing injured Akash Deep with Saurabh Dubey.

Saini, who first earned an IPL contract with Delhi Capitals in 2018 but did not feature in a game that season, made his mark with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019. He picked up 11 wickets in 13 matches that season and continued with the franchise for the next two editions. The speedster was later signed by Rajasthan Royals, where he managed to play just four matches across two seasons before going unsold in the most recent auction.

Overall, Saini has claimed 23 IPL wickets and has also represented the Indian team across all three formats. When Saini was asked about how it feels to be a part of the Knight Riders family, the speedster had a humble response.

“The way we say Kolkata Knight Riders, if I have to explain this to a person, it has a certain feel to it. So, I am feeling very good as a Knight Rider,” Saini said on Kolkata Knight Rider’s social media platform.

Raw pace added to the Knights' arsenal 💜🔥Glad to have you join us, Navdeep ⚡

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans (GT) have also made a squad change, bringing in Kulwant Khejroliya as a replacement for Prithviraj Yarra. Khejroliya, who made his IPL debut with RCB in 2018, later featured for KKR in 2023 and played a game for GT last season.

KKR will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on March 29. On the other hand, GT are set to begin their season against last year’s runners-up Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on March 31.

Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra, Sarthak Ranjan, Blessing Muzarabani, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Saurabh Dubey, and Navdeep Saini.