Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been dealt a significant setback ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with India pacer Akash Deep ruled out for at least eight weeks due to a lower back stress reaction. The injury not only sidelines him from the entire IPL season but also places his participation in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in early June in serious doubt.
According to a BCCI source, the injury is a recurrence and will require a lengthy rehabilitation period. “Akash Deep has had stress reaction on his lower back. There has been recurrence and it might take 8-12 weeks to heal. He is not going to play the IPL and is very unlikely to be selected against Afghanistan,” the source said.
The 29-year-old Bengal seamer was last seen during the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir, where he appeared below full fitness, bowling limited overs across both innings. Since then, he has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and did not join KKR’s preparatory camp.
The recovery process is expected to be gradual. “It will take considerable time for healing, workload adaptation followed by Return To Play protocols. So conservative estimate of recovery will be around 10 weeks but it could take more time,” the source added.
Akash Deep’s absence further compounds KKR’s growing injury concerns. The franchise is already without India pacer Harshit Rana, who is recovering from a ligament strain, and Sri Lankan recruit Matheesha Pathirana. These setbacks have significantly weakened KKR’s pace attack ahead of the tournament.
With limited options available, KKR will now rely heavily on domestic bowlers such as Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, and Umran Malik, who has recently returned to fitness. The team had earlier released Mustafizur Rahman following a BCCI directive and brought in Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement.
In response to the injury crisis, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side has been actively scouting reinforcements. Trials have been conducted featuring several experienced IPL pacers, including Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, KM Asif, and Sandeep Warrier. Madhwal, known for his standout performance in the 2023 IPL Eliminator, is reportedly a leading candidate, though no official replacement has been announced yet.
Assistant coach Abhishek Nayar acknowledged the impact of Harshit Rana’s absence, stating, “It is a big blow because Harshit has been an integral part of this team… we always miss Harshit Rana.” He added that the management is close to finalising a replacement before their opening match in Mumbai on April 29.
Despite the setbacks, team mentor Dwayne Bravo remains optimistic. “Once you lose some of the key bowling options, these are not things you plan for… but I feel comfortable to know that we have what it takes to replace those guys,” he said, expressing confidence in the squad’s depth.
