Kolkata Knight Riders’ pace bowling duo Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are likely to be unfit for India’s upcoming tour to England and also the Afghanistan series. This remains a big cause of concern for the Indian team.

India will be touring England after facing the Afghanistan team in the home series. They will then leave for England for a long white-ball series, which will include several ODIs and T20Is against the Men in Blue, who will be preparing for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2027.

Harshit Rana and Akash Deep are among the two pacers ruled out of India’s upcoming tours

The two pacers who were part of the Kolkata Knight Riders camp in IPL 2026, Harshit Rana and Akash Deep, missed the entire season for the Knight Riders. They are still not fit and some PTI reports have claimed that they are not yet fit and could miss the next two tours.

Akash Deep is currently rehabilitating from a back injury, while Harshit Rana, for his part, has undergone knee surgery after a ligament tear, which has also ruled him out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

“Akash and Harshit’s rehabilitation is on track but there is still a long way to go before they can be released to play matches. If we talk about Afghanistan and the UK tour, there is no chance of both of them getting fit before that.”

“They are still doing strengthening routines. After that there will be jogging, strides, sprints and then skills associated with ‘Return To Play’ (RTP) protocols,” a BCCI source following the development told PTI.

Akash Deep to miss another home Test series for India

Bengal pacer Akash Deep had played the domestic season for the team but then missed the entire season with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has been a prospect for the Indian red-ball team.

India’s red-ball match against Afghanistan in the one-off Test series is crucial from the point of view of players like Akash Deep as many senior players would not be a part of this series as this match follows the IPL 2026 contest and is also not a part of the World Test Championship.

According to the latest reports, AkashDeep is likely to take even longer than Harshit Rana to recover, and the Duleep Trophy this season seems to be a more realistic possibility for his return.

Who could replace Harshit Rana in the Indian white-ball team?

While Harshit Rana’s return would be a bigger concern for the Indian team as India are set to appear in three ODI matches against Afghanistan before their tour to England where they will play eight white-ball matches this season.

Harshit Rana was replaced by Mohammed Siraj in the ICC T20 World Cup; However, many other players, especially some who performed splendidly in IPL 2026, could have the edge to debut or return to the Indian team.

Mohammed Shami has done excellent with the new ball, while Prasidh Krishna, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav and Anshul Kamboj have been genuine wicket-keepers so far this season. Considering their previous experience in England, Siraj and Prasidh could have an edge.

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