The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dealt early blows that jolted their IPL 2026 season before it was even started. Matheesha Pathirana had a delayed joining; meanwhile, capped Indian pace duo Harshit Rana and Akash Deep were forced to miss the entire campaign due to injuries. While Rana’s injury was more obvious as he was seen on crutches multiple times, there was some ambiguity on Akash Deep, who was ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a lower-back stress injury.
Now, a new update has come in for the bustling pacer. Akash Deep, who has been in India’s Test team in recent times, is set to sit out for the next three to four months. As per RevSportz, the Bengal pacer is eyeing his comeback in the Duleep Trophy 2026. This means he won’t be available for selection in India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, where the BCCI is thinking of fielding a second-string team. The one-off Test will be played on June 6, with Akash Deep nowhere near achieving his full fitness by then.
Long road to recovery for Akash Deep
Fast bowlers are more likely to be caught up with injuries than any other cricketers. Akash Deep’s case is no different. With him generating his bowling power through his run-up, the right-armer doesn’t have a high jump. Hence, he rounds his back when completing his action. With this, the risk of back injury just amplifies.
That is what happened with the talented pacer, who has been struggling with back issues for quite some time now. It troubled him last year when he was part of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as well. Meanwhile, he impressed in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series before getting ruled out of the final Test in Sydney due to a stiff back.
Afterwards, in India’s tour of England, Akash Deep was India’s third-choice pacer after Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. He played three out of five Tests, taking 13 wickets in the series. He was the Edgabaston hero. But then, groin strain ruled him out of the Manchester Test.
Now, ahead of IPL 2026, he caught up the lower-back stress injury while playing the Ranji Trophy 2025/26 for Bengal. A long domestic season was hindered as he picked up the injury in the semi-final. He took 22 wickets in the Ranji Trophy before trying to make himself available for the IPL. But he couldn’t.
Akash Deep’s injuries crisis
| Year | Injury Type | Team Impacted | Details & Consequences |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Stress Fracture (Back) | Bengal U-23 | Occurred during his early rookie years; required intensive rehabilitation supervised by coach Sourasish Lahiri. |
| 2023 | Unspecified Injuries | RCB (IPL) | Restricted to just 2 games in IPL 2023 and 1 game in IPL 2024 due to recurring fitness issues. |
| 2025 | Back Injury | LSG (IPL) | Sustained just before the IPL 2025 season; missed the opening matches for Lucknow Super Giants. |
| 2025 | Back Injury | Team India | Sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour in Australia, resulting in an underwhelming performance. |
| 2025 | Groin Strain | Team India | Picked up during the Lord’s Test against England in July; ruled him out of the subsequent Manchester Test. |
| 2026 | Lower-Back Stress Injury | KKR (IPL) / Bengal | Initially injured during the Ranji Trophy semifinal in Feb 2026. A recurrence in March ruled him out of the entire IPL 2026 |
Recently, Akash Deep checked in at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence for rehab. He is in for a long road to recovery, with an estimated timeline of his comeback being September this year. That is the time when the Indian domestic season will be underway, starting with the Duleep Trophy. Akash Deep is eyeing a return in the Duleep Trophy, which is played in a zonal format.
Akash Deep, who has played ten Tests for India, is yet to make a debut in any of the two white-ball formats. This means he will not rue missing the bucketload of white-ball series India have after the IPL 2026. However, Akash Deep won’t be available for the two-match Test tour of Sri Lanka, that is slated to take place in August.
