Who is that stormy bowler…whom KKR has made its new 'weapon', uproots stumps at a speed of 150kmph

New Delhi. A big news is coming out from the camp of Kolkata Knight Riders. Just before the start of IPL 2026, the team captained by Shreyas Iyer has made a major change in its fast bowling unit. The team's rising star and retained player Harshit Rana is out of the entire season due to injury. In his place, Navdeep Saini, a well-known face of domestic cricket of Bengal and Delhi and former fast bowler of the Indian team, has been included in the team.

This is a big blow for KKR because Harshit Rana was an important part of their bowling strategy. Harshit was retained for Rs 4 crore before the mega auction of IPL 2025. He was injured during the warm-up match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4. After a long recovery effort, it has now become clear that he will not be able to participate in the tournament starting from March 28.

Navdeep Saini is a speed merchant
Navdeep Saini, who hails from Karnal, Haryana and plays domestic cricket for Delhi, is known for his speed of 145-150 km per hour. 33-year-old Saini has good experience in international cricket. So far he has played 2 Test matches, 8 ODI matches and 11 T20 International matches for the Indian team. Navdeep Saini has taken a total of 23 wickets for Team India in all three formats. Talking about his IPL career, he has taken 23 wickets in 32 matches so far. He has earlier been a part of big teams like Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Saini has been signed by KKR for his base price of Rs 75 lakh.

What did Saini say on joining KR?
Navdeep Saini looked very excited after joining a big franchise like KKR. Expressing his happiness, he said that it is a very special feeling to be associated with KKR. A different kind of connection and emotion is felt with this franchise which is difficult to explain in words. For me this opportunity is like a new beginning. The last few years have been full of ups and downs in my career, but I never stopped believing in my hard work. This opportunity is the reward for that patience and hard work.

Big change in bowling attack
Saini is the second replacement player signed by KKR this season. Earlier, the team had included Saurabh Dubey in place of Akash Deep. Now with the arrival of Saini, the team has got an experienced bowler who has the ability to trouble the batsmen with his yorkers and bouncers in the death overs. On the Eden Gardens pitch, where fast bowlers often get little help, Saini's pace could prove to be the X-factor for KKR. Now it remains to be seen whether this 'speed merchant' can pave the way for Kolkata to win the title this season or not.