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NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Vidarbha’s Saurabh Dubey as a replacement for Akash Deep for IPL 2026, according to a report by Cricbuzz. Akash Deep has been ruled out of the tournament after failing to recover from a lower-back stress injury in time.While Dubey has been brought in as a replacement, KKR are yet to make an official announcement. The report further states that the 28-year-old has already been training with the Knight Riders camp in Kolkata.
The Vidarbha pacer was previously part of Sunrisers Hyderabad after being picked up for Rs 20 lakh in the IPL 2022 auction, although he did not get a game and is yet to make his IPL debut.
Who is Saurabh Dubey ?
A left-arm medium-fast bowler, Dubey represents Vidarbha in domestic cricket. He has featured in eight List A matches and three T20s, while also picking up 16 wickets in eight first-class games.He entered the IPL 2026 mini-auction with a base price of Rs 30 lakh but went unsold.Dubey was also a part of India’s squad for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh. On his List A debut against Nepal, he impressed with figures of 4 for 26 in India’s seven-wicket win and was named Player of the Match. He finished the tournament with seven wickets from three matches.
