New Delhi, March 25: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed Navdeep Saini to replace the injured Harshit Rana for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Saini, who has previously played for Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), joins the team for ₹75 lakhs.

Rana was ruled out of the tournament due to a ligament strain in his right knee sustained during the T20 World Cup, further weakening KKR’s bowling unit, which is also missing Akash Deep and Matheesa Pathirana due to injuries.

The right-arm fast bowler has played 32 matches in his IPL career, taking 23 wickets, and has also claimed 23 wickets in international cricket for India.

After joining the three-time champions KKR, Saini stated, “I feel great because when we talk about Kolkata Knight Riders, there’s a different feeling. As a Knight Rider, I feel really good. I found out about this last night, and I didn’t know how to react.”

He added, “I knew that with the hard work I was putting in and how things were going, there was already a plan that has now come true. To be honest, it has become a reality. Therefore, I knew this could happen at any time. But it is very important to have faith in God, and that’s what I did. I enjoyed it a lot.”

The fast bowler described this opportunity as a ‘rebirth,’ reflecting on his journey over the past 2-3 years, which has been filled with ups and downs. “During those times, it was crucial to stay grounded. Even when challenges arose, I kept myself together, practiced, and didn’t stop working hard. This is the result of that effort, so I can call it my ‘rebirth.’”

Related