Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Simarjeet Singh could reportedly replace the injured Harshit Rana in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)’s IPL 2026 squad. According to Kashmir Sports Watch , KKR invited
six pacers for trials and Delhi-based Simarjeet impressed the franchise staff the most. The report said Simarjeet’s familiarity with franchise environments also informed the three-time champions’ decision.
A tall, quick bowler who can hit 140kph-plus speeds and has a mean yorker in his arsenal, Simarjeet made his IPL debut for CSK in 2022. He played 10 matches for the franchise, taking 9 wickets. In 2025, he was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction, but struggled on the flat tracks with two wickets in four matches at an average of 70.50 and an economy rate of over 14.
His ceiling is beyond question — some have even compared him with Jofra Archer — but KKR would hope that in their historically pace-fostering set-up, he can become less injury-prone and more consistent.
Injuries and unavailability have proven to be a big scourge to KKR even before the season has begun. Rana has reportedly been ruled out of the entire season due to the knee injury he picked up in a pre-T20 World Cup warm-up match. Blessing Muzarabani has replaced Mustafizur Rahman, who was removed from the franchise’s roster due to a BCCI directive, while doubts remain over Matheesha Pathirana’s availability.
Replacing Harshit would be a tall order for Simarjeet if the reported deal goes ahead. A find of the KKR scouting department, Harshit took 19 wickets in KKR’s title-winning 2024 campaign, the most by an uncapped bowler that season. He’s an all-phase pacer who can swing the ball and has an assortment of variations for death overs, which got him into the Indian team across all formats in the first place.
One thing that can help him, though is that Eden Gardens could be well-suited to Simarjeet’s raw talents and under DJ Bravo’s mentorship, he could improve fast.
