KKR pick Saurabh Dubey as Akash Deep replacement

Kolkata Knight Riders have signed left-arm pacer Saurabh Dubey as a replacement for Akash Deep for IPL 2026. Akash Deep was ruled out of the season, as previously reported.

Dubey, 28, from Vidarbha, was previously with Sunrisers Hyderabad but is yet to make his IPL debut. He has joined the KKR camp in Kolkata.

Former national selector Subroto Banerjee commented on the signing: "He is a very talented left-arm fast bowler. I remember him touring Bangladesh under Rahul Dravid as part of the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup squad. He gets extra bounce off the wicket and can swing the ball both ways. It's a good call by the Knight Riders management."

A KKR official confirmed Dubey's recruitment and added that the franchise has not yet decided on a replacement for Harshit Rana, who is also ruled out for the season. The franchise's view is that there is no suitable Indian replacement for Rana.

Dubey went unsold at the Abu Dhabi mini-auction in December and was in the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP) with a base price of INR 30 lakh. He was signed by SRH in 2022, but an injury cut short his stint.

His most recent domestic cricket was for Vidarbha in the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Rest of IPL schedule in 3-4 days

The BCCI has informed franchises that the schedule for the remainder of the IPL season will be announced in three to four days. Fixtures for the first 20 matches (up to April 12) are already released, but the schedule for the remaining 54 matches is pending.

The delay is due to elections in IPL host states like Assam, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. The BCCI is now finalizing the fixtures following the announcement of election dates. The season begins on March 28.