The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are facing quite a challenge even before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 kicks off. This is a team that seemed to have most of their bases covered after the IPL auction, but now they find themselves in need of two replacements. This comes on the heels of bringing in Blessing Muzarabani to fill in for Mustafizur Rahman, who was released following a directive from the BCCI. Unfortunately, two key players who were expected to lead KKR's pace attack have been sidelined for IPL 2026. First up is Harshit Rana, who suffered an injury during India’s only warm-up match at the T20 World Cup 2026. He missed out on being part of the T20 World Cup squad and was spotted on crutches at the recent BCCI NAMAN awards. Sadly, he won’t be back in time. Just when KKR was hoping to rely on local Indian pacers to step in for Harshit, more bad news hit. Akash Deep, another Indian international pacer, has also been ruled out for the IPL season due to lower-back stress. Who is stepping in for Akash Deep in KKR squad? Akash Deep had an ankle injury during Bengal’s Ranji Trophy semi-final against the eventual champions, Jammu and Kashmir, and was under the care of BCCI doctors before spending some time with his family. Everything seemed to be on track when KKR signed him for INR 1 crore. However, just before joining the KKR camp, he started experiencing pain in his lower back, which delayed his arrival. Also Read | 'The Other Teams Are Going To...': Virat Kohli Fires Big Warning as RCB Begin IPL 2026 Prep Now, he’s completely out, with recovery expected to take nearly three months. This means KKR is on the hunt for yet another replacement. While they were considering Simarjeet Singh to step in for Rana, reports suggest that KKR is now looking at former Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Akash Madhwal as a potential replacement for Akash Deep. Madhwal has made quite an impression in his IPL career, having played 17 matches since he kicked off his journey with MI in 2023. He’s particularly famous for his stunning performance of 5/5 against the Lucknow Super Giants during the 2023 Eliminator, which stands as the best bowling figure in IPL playoff history. So far, he’s taken 23 wickets, although his economy rate of 10.06 is still on the higher side. On another note, the report also mentioned an intriguing name. KKR is showing interest in RS Ambrish, who recently shone in the Under-19 ODI World Cup and is currently with the Knight Riders as a net bowler. With 11 wickets, he was one of India’s top wicket-takers and displayed remarkable skill on the global stage. He’s also a capable batter, so it wouldn’t be surprising if KKR decides to go for Ambrish instead. They’re expected to announce their replacements pretty soon.