The injury has also put the right-arm pacer in serious doubt for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in early June.<\/p>\n
\u201cAkash 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,\u201d a BCCI source in the know told PTI.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old Bengal pacer, who was last seen in action during the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir, had looked short of full fitness, bowling just 13 overs in the first innings and under seven in the second.<\/p>\n
He has since been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and did not join KKR preparatory camp which began here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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,\u201d the board source added.<\/p>\n
Akash Deep is the latest addition to the three-time champion\u2019s growing injury list which includes India pacer Harshit Rana and its Rs 18-crore Sri Lankan recruit Matheesha Pathirana, further depleting the franchise\u2019s fast-bowling stocks.<\/p>\n
With Akash Deep and Rana unavailable, KKR will have to rely heavily on their remaining domestic options, including Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi and a fit-again Umran Malik.<\/p>\n
KKR, who finished a poor eighth in its title defence last season, is already without Rana, who is recovering from a ligament strain in his right knee.<\/p>\n
The left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman had to be released earlier this year following a BCCI directive, prompting KKR to rope in Zimbabwe quick Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement.<\/p>\n
The Abhishek Nayar-coached and Ajinkya Rahane-led franchise has also been scouting replacements and held trials featuring several IPL-experienced pacers, including Akash Madhwal, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, KM Asif and Sandeep Warrier.<\/p>\n
Among them, Madhwal, who grabbed attention with a stunning 5\/5 for Mumbai Indians in the 2023 Eliminator, appears to be ahead in the race, though the franchise is yet to announce a replacement.<\/p>\n
Nayar on Friday said the management is close to finalising a replacement and would do it before leaving for their IPL opener in Mumbai on April 29. The squad will leave for Mumbai on April 25.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt (Harshit Rana\u2019s absence) is a big blow because Harshit has been an integral part of this team for the last couple of seasons, also the championship season. Over the last year, he\u2019s really grown as a cricketer. So we always miss Harshit Rana.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut having said that, over the last few days, we\u2019ve been having looking at a few bowlers, we\u2019ve had to evaluate with the help of our leadership group as to who fits in and who can do that role to the best of their prowess. Hopefully we\u2019ll identify someone who we feel can make a difference,\u201d Nayar said.<\/p>\n
However, team mentor Dwayne Bravo does not believe it\u2019s a worry and insisted that it has enough depth to cope with the setbacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn any tournament with any team, once you lose some of the key bowling options, these are not things you plan for, but these are things you have to accept,\u201d Bravo said on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe good thing about Indian cricket, especially at the moment, there\u2019s a lot of depth. There\u2019re the likes of Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora… they are young, exciting talents. We lost some key players, but I feel comfortable to know that we have what it takes to replace those guys. From a bowling point of view, I think we will be fine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Published on Mar 21, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n