Harshit Rana set to miss majority of IPL 2026 after knee surgery

The IPL (Indian Premier League) 2026 season is all set to kick off on March 28, and ahead of the new season, three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders seem to be in trouble as their frontline seamer Harshit Rana is set to miss the majority of the upcoming IPL season. 

It is worth noting that Rana will be missing the bulk of the IPL 2026 season as he underwent knee surgery in February 2026. Rana also missed the T20 World Cup 2026 due to his injury and is currently undergoing rehab. Notably, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has not earmarked a date for Rana’s return yet. 

Furthermore, if the star player misses out on the entirety of the IPL 2026, it will be the second tournament that he misses



after the World Cup. He sustained a ligament strain in his right knee after he pulled out, having delivered just one over in the warm-up game against South Africa before the T20 World Cup. 

With Rana’s injury, the bowling contingent of Kolkata Knight Riders has grown quite weak in comparison. The side won't have the services of Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman, as he was removed from the squad. Furthermore, Blessing Muzarbani has been signed as a replacement as well. 

Notably, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Akash Deep, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, and all-rounders Cameron Green and Ramandeep Singh are the fast bowling options for Kolkata Knight Riders, but there are injury concerns over Pathirana as well.