Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Akash Deep has been ruled out of IPL 2026, owing to a stress reaction in the lower back. He is expected to recover in 8-12 weeks, effectively ruling him out of the IPL and also from the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June. His injury is a huge blow to the three-time champions, who will also miss Harshit Rana for the entire season, while Matheesha Pathirana is set to join mid-April, missing at least the first three matches.