After India pacer Akash Deep was ruled out of the upcoming IPL season due to lower back stress injury, the Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Vidarbha pacer Saurabh Dubey as his replacement for the 19th edition of the IPL. Dubey hasn’t made his IPL debut so far.
Sunrisers Hyderabad bought Dubey during the 2022 IPL auctions but he couldn’t play a single game in that season due to injury. The 28-year-old last played for Vidarbha in October 2023 in a Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 match. Before that, he played in 4 Vijay Hazare Trophy games during the 2020-21 season.
At the senior level, the left arm pacer has played only 11 matches. Dubey looked impressive for the Orange Tigers during the Vidarbha Pro T20 League last year. He was called in as a net bowler by the Mumbai Indians. Dubey attracted limelight in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in 2019 when he was the highest wicket-taker in the entire tournament.
During the IPL auctions in December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, Dubey went unsold and was placed in the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP), with a base price of INR 30 lakhs. Players who are a part of RAPP can be included as replacements for players who can’t represent their respective teams due to unavoidable circumstances.
As per reports, KKR hasn’t shortlisted any player in place of pacer Harshit Rana, who will be missing the 19th edition due to a knee injury. KKR recently held a camp for bowlers like Akash Madhwal, Sandeep Warrier, Navdeep Saini, and Simarjeet Singh, who could replace Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, who will miss the IPL due to injuries.
Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana will also be missing the initial few matches due to a hamstring injury and is currently undergoing rehabilitation. Currently, KKR’s fast bowling option consists of pacers like Vaibhav Arora, Blessing Muzarabani, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi and all-rounder Cameron Green, who is a handy seam bowler.
Injuries to some of the key bowlers have affected KKR’s team combination, and the recent injuries to Harshit Rana and Akash Deep can give headaches to the team management. KKR play their first match against the Mumbai Indians at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on the 29th of March.
