Bad news for Shah rukh Khan’s KKR: Star all-rounder ruled out due to… ahead of IPL 2026

Kolkata Knight Riders have suffered a major blow before the start of IPL 2026. Their young star all-rounder Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.

According to a report in The Times of India, the 24-year-old pacer will miss the entire IPL 2026 season as he is still recovering from surgery.

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Harshit suffered the knee injury during a warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai just before the T20 World Cup 2026. He was forced to pull out of the World Cup squad, and Mohammad Siraj replaced him in Team India.

Harshit underwent surgery in Mumbai on February 9. Reports suggest he will need another 2 to 3 months to fully recover and won’t be fit in time for IPL 2026.

Harshit Rana’s impressive IPL record

Harshit Rana played a key role in KKR’s title-winning campaign in IPL 2024, taking 19 wickets during the season.

His solid performances gave him a spot in the Indian team. Before IPL 2025, KKR retained him for 4 crore rupees. In IPL 2025, he played 13 matches and picked up 15 wickets.

KKR is yet to decide on a replacement for him. The team hopes their other pacers – Akash Deep, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, and Kartik Tyagi will step up and fill the gap effectively.

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Blessing Muzarabani joins KKR as replacement

Earlier on Friday, KKR signed Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman.

Mustafizur was bought by KKR for a record Rs 9.20 crore in the December mini-auction – the highest amount paid for any Bangladeshi player in IPL history. He was acquired after a big bidding war with Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals (base price Rs 2 crore).

However, following reports of violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh in December and strong public criticism, the BCCI directed KKR to release Mustafizur from the squad.

The 30-year-old left-arm pacer has taken 65 wickets in 60 IPL matches at an economy of 8.13 since his debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. He has played for Mumbai Indians (2018), Rajasthan Royals (2021), Delhi Capitals (2022-23), and Chennai Super Kings (2024). In IPL 2025, he was with DC as a replacement for injured Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Why Muzarabani is a big boost for KKR

Blessing Muzarabani made headlines in the T20 World Cup 2026. He destroyed Australia with figures of 4/17 in four overs, helping Zimbabwe pull off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.

Muzarabani finished with 13 wickets in the World Cup, the fourth-highest overall in the tournament.

The 6 ft 8″ right-arm quick brings steep bounce and experience from global T20 leagues. He has over 90 wickets in more than 80 T20 Internationals at an average of around 21, with best figures of 3/8.