Kolkata, March 22: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off on March 28, and three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have added left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Dubey from Vidarbha to their squad. Dubey steps in for the injured Indian pacer Akash Deep, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a lower back ‘stress reaction’.
Shivam Dubey was signed by the 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for IPL 2022, but his stint was cut short due to a back injury. A franchise official stated, “Yes, KKR has signed Saurabh Dubey for the upcoming season to replace Akash Deep. Dubey was a ‘net bowler’ for KKR and had been practicing with the team at camps in Eden Gardens and Mumbai, but now he will be part of the main squad.”
Saurabh Dubey, who was part of the ‘India A’ team in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, has played eight ‘List A’ and three T20 matches for Vidarbha. Former Indian fast bowler Subroto Banerjee, who recently completed his term as a national selector, had also been keeping an eye on Dubey.
At 28, Saurabh Dubey has yet to make his IPL debut. He went unsold in last year’s mini-auction held in Abu Dhabi, but since he registered for the auction, he became part of the ‘Registered Available Player Pool’ (RAPP). Any franchise can select new players from this pool to replace injured players.
Reports indicate that the franchise has not yet decided on a replacement for Indian seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, who is also out for the season following surgery for a right knee ‘meniscus tear’ in February. Starting Wednesday, KKR has been conducting trials to select new players to fill the gaps left by Rana and Akash Deep.
Under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane, KKR will begin their campaign on March 29 against the Mumbai Indians. They will then face Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 2, Punjab Kings on April 6, and Lucknow Super Giants on April 9.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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