Cameron Green, the all-rounder, will finally turn up for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The 26-year-old had featured in the first three matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 as a batter since he was still recovering from a back injury.
Managing injury & workload
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane had let his frustration be known publicly after Green didn’t bowl against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 31. After a rather convincing defeat, Rahane had simply blurted out, “Ask Cricket Australia,” when asked about Green not bowling even one over.
This had prompted CA to respond. The Australian cricket board stated that KKR were well aware of Green managing a back injury. They informed that the all-rounder would need roughly 10 more days before he could bowl again. In the meantime, Green played as a batter and struggled.
“Cameron has a lower back injury, which is being managed but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period. Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to return in around 10-12 days’ time. KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information,” CA had said.
This even prompted Sunil Gavaskar to suggest that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) force players like Green to withdraw or ban them from the IPL if they can’t fulfill the role, they were signed to play. However, that won’t be needed.
Ready to bowl
Green had already started bowling in the nets as early as April 1. Now, according to ESPNcricinfo, he has been cleared by CA and is ready to bowl in competitive matches. He needed around 10 days, which have passed since Rahane made those comments. He’ll be seen bowling against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 9.
Green inclusion as a bowler will help KKR. They don’t have Mustafizur Rahman, who was removed from the squad following the BCCI’s instruction. Matheesha Pathirana has resumed bowling in the nets, but at the moment, there’s no confirmation that he’ll feature in IPL 2026.
Harshit Rana and Akash Deep have been ruled out, with Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Dubey. In the last match against the Punjab Kings, which was abandoned due to rain, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy didn’t play either due to illness and injury. Green’s bowling is desperately needed, and his return to fitness couldn’t have come at a better time.
Cricket
Cameron Green to bowl in KKR vs LSG match, gets fitness clearance from Cricket Australia
