IPL 2026: More injury woes for KKR as Akash Deep too ruled out
KOLKATA : Kolkata Knight Riders ’ problems keep getting bigger, with their pacer Akash Deep being ruled out for at least eight weeks due to a lower-back stress injury on Saturday.
The injury not only ruled the Bengal pacer out of this IPL season but his participation in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in early June also looks doubtful now.
“Akash Deep has a 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,” BCCI sources were quoted as saying.
The cricketer from Bihar has played 14 matches, claiming 10 wickets in four seasons since his IPL debut in 2022.
The 29-year-old Bengal pacer, picked for Rs 1 crore at last year’s mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, had not reported for the Knights’ pre-season camp which got underway at the Eden Gardens on March 18.
The pacer suffered the injury during the Ranji Trophy semifinal between Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir in Kalyani. He could bowl only 13 overs in the first innings and under seven in the second as Bengal lost the match. He has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru since then. Although he was recovering well, it was learnt that he once again felt some uneasiness which ruled him out of action.
Akash Deep has became the latest addition to the three-time champions’ growing injury list. India pacer Harshit Rana is all but out and the team management is also desperately waiting for Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana to get fit.
KKR, who have an abundance of riches in the batting department, will have to rely on their remaining domestic bowling options like Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi and Umran Malik.
Seamers Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, KM Asif and Sandeep Warrier have been called for preparatory camp as the side looks for a replacement.
The injury not only ruled the Bengal pacer out of this IPL season but his participation in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in early June also looks doubtful now.
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“Akash Deep has a 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,” BCCI sources were quoted as saying.
The cricketer from Bihar has played 14 matches, claiming 10 wickets in four seasons since his IPL debut in 2022.
The 29-year-old Bengal pacer, picked for Rs 1 crore at last year’s mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, had not reported for the Knights’ pre-season camp which got underway at the Eden Gardens on March 18.
The pacer suffered the injury during the Ranji Trophy semifinal between Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir in Kalyani. He could bowl only 13 overs in the first innings and under seven in the second as Bengal lost the match. He has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru since then. Although he was recovering well, it was learnt that he once again felt some uneasiness which ruled him out of action.
Akash Deep has became the latest addition to the three-time champions’ growing injury list. India pacer Harshit Rana is all but out and the team management is also desperately waiting for Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana to get fit.
KKR, who have an abundance of riches in the batting department, will have to rely on their remaining domestic bowling options like Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi and Umran Malik.
Seamers Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, KM Asif and Sandeep Warrier have been called for preparatory camp as the side looks for a replacement.
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