Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed Vidarbha’s fast bowler Saurabh Dubey as replacement for injured India pacer Akash Deep, who has been ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a back injury.
Dubey was earlier signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2022 but was ruled out because of a back injury.
“Yes, Saurabh Dubey has been signed by KKR as a replacement for Akash Deep for the upcoming season. Dubey was a net bowler for KKR and was practising with them at Eden Gardens and in their camp in Mumbai, but he will now be in the main squad,” said a franchise official to IANS on Sunday.
The 28-year-old is yet to make his IPL debut and went unsold at the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi last year. But because he had registered for the auction, Dubey became a part of the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP), from where any of the 10 franchises can pick replacements for their injured players.
Dubey has featured in eight List A matches and three T20 games for Vidarbha so far. He was also part of the India A squad in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, where the current Team India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was in charge of the team. Earlier, former India pacer Subroto Banerjee, who served as a national selector until last year, had been keeping an eye on his progress.
Meanwhile, the franchise has not yet decided on a replacement for Harshit Rana. He has been ruled out of the season after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear in his right knee in February. Over the past few days, KKR have been conducting trials to find suitable replacements for both Rana and Akash Deep.
KKR will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 29. They will then play their first home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 2, followed by home matches against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on April 6 and 9.
