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IPL 2026: KKR Signs Saurabh Dubey, SRH Brings In David Payne as Replacements

Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Vidarbha's left-arm pacer Saurabh Dubey as a replacement for the injured Indian fast bowler Akash Deep, who is ruled out with a lumbar stress injury. Simultaneously, Sunrisers Hyderabad have brought in England's David Payne to replace the injured Australian cricketer Jack Edwards. Dubey, who was previously with SRH but never debuted, joins KKR for INR 30 Lakh, while Payne, with extensive T20 experience, joins for Rs 1.5 Crore. The IPL season begins with SRH facing RCB on March 28, followed by KKR taking on Mumbai Indians on March 29.

Key Points: IPL 2026 Team Updates: KKR, SRH Announce Injury Replacements

  • KKR replaces Akash Deep with Saurabh Dubey
  • SRH brings in David Payne for Jack Edwards
  • Akash Deep ruled out with lumbar stress injury
  • Dubey joins for INR 30 Lakh, Payne for Rs 1.5 Crore
2 min read

IPL 2026: KKR rope in Saurabh Dubey for Akash Deep, David Payne replaces Jack Edwards in SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders sign Saurabh Dubey for injured Akash Deep. Sunrisers Hyderabad replace Jack Edwards with England's David Payne for IPL 2026 season.

"Akash Deep... has been ruled out of the season due to a lumbar stress injury. - IPL Statement"

Mumbai, March 24

Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have signed Vidarbha's left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Dubey as a replacement for injured India pacer Akash Deep, who has been ruled out of the IPL 2026 due to a lumbar stress injury.

Further, England cricketer David Payne has replaced the injured Australian cricketer Jack Edwards in the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad.

Payne has played only one ODI for England, having mostly played domestic cricket. He has 233 T20s under his belt and scalped 304 wickets from those games.

"Akash Deep - a right-arm pacer, who has played 10 Tests for India, scalping 28 wickets - has been ruled out of the season due to a lumbar stress injury. He will be under the care of the BCCI Medical Team at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru for further management of his injury. Saurabh, a left-arm pacer, will replace Akash at KKR. He will join KKR for INR 30 Lakh," IPL's statement read.

"Meanwhile, Payne is an injury replacement for Jack Edwards at SRH. Payne has played one ODI for England, in addition to 233 T20s, scalping 304 wickets from the same. He will join SRH for Rs 1.5 Crore," the statement read further.

Dubey was signed by SRH, the 2016 champions, for IPL 2022, but his time with the team was cut short due to a back injury. He haas not yet debuted in the IPL and went unsold at last year's mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.

However, because he registered for the auction, Dubey was included in the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP), allowing any of the ten franchises to select him as a replacement for their injured players.

Dubey, who has participated in eight List A matches and three T20 games for Vidarbha, was part of the India A team in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup, where currently India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was the head coach. He was also monitored by former India pacer Subroto Banerjee, whose tenure as a national selector concluded last year.

SRH will play the curtain raiser of the tournament against defending champions RCB on March 28, while KKR will face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
SRH paying 1.5 crore for David Payne seems like a gamble. He has experience but only one international match? Hope the scouts have seen something special. Our Indian domestic talent pool is so deep, sometimes I feel we overlook them for foreign players.
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Aman W
Injuries are part of the game, but the frequency is worrying. BCCI needs to look at player workload management more seriously, especially for fast bowlers. Wishing Akash Deep a speedy recovery at the NCA.
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Sarah B
As a neutral fan, it's always exciting to see new faces get an opportunity. Dubey has been in the system for years. Hope he grabs this lifeline with both hands. The IPL is all about these stories!
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Vikram M
Good to see a Vidarbha player getting a chance. Our domestic circuits produce so much talent. The RAPP system is actually quite smart—gives unsold players a second shot. All the best to Dubey! Make Vidarbha proud.
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Karthik V
With due respect, I have to question KKR's strategy here. Replacing a proven Test bowler with a completely uncapped player for just 30 lakhs shows a lack of ambition. We need a balanced squad to win the trophy, not just fill a spot on the cheap.

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