The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced their replacement for Akash Deep, who will be unavailable for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The news of Saurabh Dubey in KKR began circulating on Sunday after he was confirmed to be filling in for the absence of experienced pacer Akash in the squad. The key reason behind Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026 is due to a lower-back stress injury. The development marks another blow to the Knight Riders, who will miss the services of Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana for at least the first half of the tournament. Let’s take a look at what happened to Akash Deep, which triggered the entry of Saurabh Dubey in KKR.

Akash Deep Will Be Out of Action for Next 3 Months

Akash Deep sustained a back injury during Bengal’s semifinal clash of Ranji Trophy 2025-26 against Jammu and Kashmir in February. He went wicketless in the first innings, where he bowled 13 overs and conceded 58 runs. Meanwhile, the right-arm pacer bounced back to finish with figures of 3/46 off his 15 overs in the second innings. However, Bengal lost the game, as J & K sealed the chase easily.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

KKR have signed Vidarbha left-arm seamer Saurabh Dubey as Akash Deep’s replacement for #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/BYthkI6fTL

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) March 22, 2026

Since then, Akash has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. However, the 29-year-old failed to recover from his stress injury, which is a recurrence and it might take him around 10-12 weeks to be fully fit. He is also doubtful for a one-off Test against Afghanistan in June. As a result, the Knight Riders had been looking for a replacement for Akash Deep, and finalized Saurabh Dubey’s name. Talented pacers such as Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, KM Asif and Sandeep Warrier were also part of the preparatory camp for KKR. But, they could not make it to the main squad.

Why Did KKR Choose Saurabh Dubey as Replacement for Akash Deep?

According to reports, Saurabh Dubey had already been training with the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens leading up to IPL 2026. It’s just that the official announcement of Akash Deep came much later, after his recovery failed to meet the expectations.

🚨 KKR have signed Saurabh Dubey as replacement for Akash Deep ahead of IPL 2026 (Cricbuzz) 🏏 pic.twitter.com/M5EbuI2WfX

— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) March 22, 2026

Dubey went unsold in the IPL 2026 mini-auction after getting listed at No. 1215 in the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP) for his base price of INR 30 lakh. However, due to being part of RAPP, the Vidarbha pacer was eligible to be a replacement for Akash Deep. The 28-year-old was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2022 auction. However, he didn’t get to feature in any of the games and was then released by the franchise. Dubey first impressed during his stint with the Indian team in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. He was India’s finest bowler with seven wickets in three games, as the side reached the semifinals.

🚨 𝑹𝑬𝑷𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑺 🚨

KKR have signed Vidarbha left-arm seamer Saurabh Dubey as Akash Deep’s replacement for IPL 2026! 🟣🔁

(Source: Cricbuzz)#KKR #IPL2026 #AkashDeep #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/9a3GQ1j6jL

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) March 23, 2026

However, Saurabh Dubey in KKR is another chance for him to revive his career. The left-arm pacer last represented Vidarbha in the 2023-24 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he went wicketless in three games. Despite not playing any competitive game in the last 15-18 months, Dubey will certainly bring in variety as a left-arm pacer for KKR. After the omission of Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman, he could be used by skipper Ajinkya Rahane in some of the games. In eight List-A games, Saurabh Dubey has scalped 16 wickets at an economy of 4.79, with best figures of 4/26.

Akash Deep’s replacement, Saurabh Dubey, took the wicket of Set batsman, Finn Allen, on the very first ball.

Seems like he is good talent with that height and the ability to swing the ball, Slower ones pic.twitter.com/ProtBKt1zX

— Only KKR Matters 💜💛 (@KKRmatters) March 23, 2026

With Blessing Muzarabani coming in as a replacement for Rahman, the Zimbabwean is likely to be the part of first-choice XI. Along with him, the likes of Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi and Umran Malik will infuse their fresh energy into the side as well. Meanwhile, all-rounder Cameron Green is also expected to take some bowling load, as he has fully recovered from his back injury. It will be interesting to see whether Harshit Rana’s absence and Akash Deep ruled out of IPL 2026 will have a major effect on KKR’s performance in the pace bowling department. In terms of the spin department, the Knight Riders are self-assured with the presence of veterans like Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy.