Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana has reported to the Board of Control for India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) and is recovering well, as per reports. The Delhi pacer was ruled out of the bulk of Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) after he went under the knife due to a knee surgery earlier this year. While Rana has been replaced by Navdeep Saini in KKR’s squad in the ongoing season, a fresh report has shed light on the update on the bowler’s status and when he is expected to return to action.
Harshit Rana to return soon?
As per Times of India, Rana checked into the BCCI’s CoE three days earier and is recovering well, faster than expected. The report states that the KKR pacer’s fitness will be a point of concern as he has gained a bit of weight during his time off the field. A source has claimed that working on his fitness will be key for Harshit to make his comeback as soon as possible.
“Harshit checked into the CoE three days back. He is doing well and his knee is recovering faster than expected. He has gained a bit of weight, which means that his fitness is a bit of a concern. He will need to work on his fitness,” a source said.
Rana’s knee trouble dates back to India’s T20 World Cup preparations earlier this year. During a warm-up match against South Africa, the young pacer felt discomfort in his right knee after bowling just one over. What initially looked like a strain eventually required surgery in February, forcing him to sit out the tournament India went on to win.
KKR are playing IPL 2026 at present without the services of ace pacers Rana and Matheesha Pathirana. While the former has been ruled out for the bulk of the tournament, the latter is expected to join the side only later on this month. KKR have managed to win just one game so far, and have lost three, while one game was washed out. They are 9th on the points table currently.
