Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have signed Navdeep Saini as a replacement for the injured Harshit Rana ahead of IPL 2026. At the same time, the Gujarat Titans (GT) have brought in Kulwant Khejroliya to replace Prithviraj Yarra.
Rana has been ruled out of the tournament due to a ligament injury in his right knee, which he picked up during the T20 World Cup. His absence is a big blow for KKR, especially since their bowling attack is already hit by injuries to Akash Deep and Matheesha Pathirana.
Navdeep Saini replaced injured Harshit Rana
Saini, who was part of Ajinkya Rahane-led India that won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, has earlier played for Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and now gets another chance in the league.
"Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) have picked Navdeep Saini and Kulwant Khejroliya, respectively, as player replacements for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026," the IPL said in a statement.
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Saini's IPL performance
Saini has taken 23 wickets in 32 IPL matches so far, along with 23 wickets for India in international cricket. He joins KKR for Rs 75 lakh.
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After joining the team, Saini shared his excitement and emotions about the opportunity.
"To be honest, I am feeling very good because the way we say Kolkata Knight Riders, if you have to explain this to a person, there is a feeling in it. So, I am feeling very good as a Knight Rider. I got to know about this last night. As soon as I got to know about this, I was not able to understand how to react.
"Because I knew that the way I am working hard and the way it is going on now, there was a plan from before, it was manifested, to be honest, the reality. So, I knew that it would happen anytime. But it is very important to have faith in God. So, I did the same thing, and as it happened, I enjoyed it a lot," Saini told 'KKR Knight Club'.
He also described this opportunity as a fresh start after a challenging phase in his career.
"If I give another name to this opportunity, I can call it a revival. Because the way my last 2-3 years journey was, there were ups and downs. But at that time, the most important thing was to stand there. To be honest, doing hard work, because ever since I started playing domestically, since my debut, I have been playing with only one thing, and that is hard work. So, when the ups and downs came, to stand, work out, and do hard work, I didn't leave that. So, because of that, I got this opportunity. So, I can call it a revival," he added.
Meanwhile, Khejroliya, a left-arm pacer, has picked up 6 wickets in the IPL so far. He has previously been part of teams like Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and will now join GT for Rs 30 lakh.