India, March 17 -- Kolkata Knight Riders will head into IPL 2026 without seeking replacements for Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana, despite both fast bowlers being affected by injury concerns, Cricbuzz has reported. The decision reflects two separate calculations from the franchise: one based on internal cover, the other on patience.

Harshit has been ruled out of the season after a knee injury that had already forced him out of India's T20 World Cup squad. The setback is significant for KKR because Harshit Rana had become a key part of their pace attack over the last two seasons. He claimed 19 wickets in IPL 2024 and followed that with 15 more in 2025, while also offering useful batting depth lower down the order. His progress had pu...