Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed Vidarbha’s tall, left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Dubey as a replacement for injured India pacer Akash Deep, who was ruled out of the competition due to a stress reaction in his lower back. 

Dubey was signed by 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for IPL 2022 but his stint was cut short due to a back injury. “Yes, Saurabh Dubey has been signed by KKR as a replacement for Akash Deep for the upcoming season. Dubey was a net bowler for KKR and was practising with them at Eden Gardens and in their camp in Mumbai, but he will now be in the main squad,” said a franchise official to IANS on Sunday.

Dubey, 28, is yet to make his IPL debut and had gone unsold at the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi last year. But since he had registered for the auction, Dubey became a part of the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP), from where any of the ten franchises can pick replacements for their injured players.

Dubey, who has played eight List A games and three T20 matches for Vidarbha, was a member of the India A team in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, where current India men’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was the side’s head coach. Dubey had also been tracked by former India pacer Subroto Banerjee, whose term as a national selector ended last year.

It is understood that the franchise is yet to take a call on a replacement for India’s seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, who is also ruled out of the season after undergoing a surgery for a meniscus tear in his right knee in February. Since Wednesday, KKR had been organising trials to select replacements of Rana and Akash Deep.

KKR, led by veteran India opener Ajinkya Rahane, will open their IPL 2026 campaign against five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 29. Their first home match will be against SRH at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 2, before hosting Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants for home clashes on April 6 and 9 respectively.