The IPL (Indian Premier League) 2026 is all set to kick off on March 28. Ahead of the new season, three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have been going through an injury crisis. With the likes of Harshit Rana and Akash Deep out with injury, KKR have been announcing replacements ahead of the new season.ย
In a major development for the side, KKR came forward and announced that they will be signing Vidarbha seamer Saurabh Dubey as the injury replacement of Akash Deep. The announcement was made by the franchise CEO Venky Mysore during an intra-squad practice match in Kolkata.
It is worth noting that Dubey has played just 11 games at the senior level and has not played competitive cricket in nearly two-and-a-half years. He last represented Vidarbha in T20 cricket back in October 2023.ย
He was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad back in 2022, but his season was cut short due to injury. He garnered attention from fans and critics alike after his performances for India in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup back in 2019.
Mysore weighed in on Dubeyโs inclusion
Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore took centre stage and talked about the inclusion of Saurabh Dubey into the side. praising head coach Abhishek Nayar for assembling the best possible combination of players possible ahead of the new edition of the IPL.ย
“Head coach Abhishek Nayar has done a great job lining up the potential options and bringing them over so that the coaches can see, be part of our training and practice games. Definitely the one who has caught everyone’s eyes is Saurabh Dubey, Vidarbha’s left-arm seamer, who is tall,โ Mysore was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.ย
“The coaches were excited, called up and said, ‘This is who we would like to take as Akash Deep’s replacement,โโ he added.ย
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