IPL 2026: KKR replace Harshit Rana with Navdeep Saini, GT sign Kulwant Khejroliya

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced fast bowler Navdeep Saini as Harshit Rana’s replacement for the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). On the other hand, the Gujarat Titans (GT) also named Kulwant Khejroliya as a replacement for Prithviraj Yarra ahead of the upcoming season.

Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the IPL 2026 as he continues to recover from a knee surgery he underwent last month. The speedster suffered a ligament strain in his right knee during India's T20 World Cup warm-up fixture against South Africa, following which he underwent surgery and needs an extensive rehabilitation process.

In his place, Navdeep has been signed for Rs 75 Lakh and will be expected to start with the new ball for KKR. The signing will end a two-year hiatus for Navdeep from the IPL as he returns after having last been a part of the 2024 edition for Rajasthan Royals. The right-arm speedster has played two Tests, eight ODIs and 11 T20Is for India, scalping 23 wickets in total. 

On the other hand, he has also taken 23 wickets from 32 matches in his IPL career. Navdeep is the second replacement for KKR ahead of the season, after they earlier signed Saurabh Dubey as Akash Deep’s replacement.

Khejroliya returns to Gujarat Titans

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans have also signed Kulwant Khejroliya for Rs 30 Lakh to fill in for the injured Prithviraj Yarra. Khejroliya is a left-arm seamer and has played four seasons in the IPL. 

The 34-year-old returns to Gujarat after being with the franchise during the 2025 season, where he featured in just one game and scalped one wicket. In his IPL career, Khejroliya has scalped six wickets from eight matches with best figures of 2/33.

Gujarat will begin their IPL campaign against Punjab Kings on March 31 in Mullanpur, while KKR will lock horns with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their first fixture on March 29 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.