KKR Hands Surprise IPL Debut to Left-Armer Saurabh Dubey Amid Varun Chakravarthy Injury

Kolkata Knight Riders handed a surprise inclusion to left-arm pacer Saurabh Dubey after star spinner Varun Chakravarthy was ruled out of their crucial IPL 2026 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old, a relatively unknown face in IPL circles, was included in KKR’s impact substitutes and came into focus after captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed at the toss that Varun was unavailable due to a niggle. RCB won the toss and elected to field first in a must-win game for KKR as the visitors chase a late playoff push.

Rahane said KKR had found rhythm in recent games and were keeping their approach simple despite the pressure. “Varun Chakravarthy misses out, unfortunately, with a niggle injury. Saurabh Dubey comes in place of him,” Rahane said at the toss. Before the toss, Dubey was seen receiving congratulations from teammates, while Varun was spotted limping during warm-ups, confirming concerns over his fitness.

The move was unexpected considering Varun has been central to KKR’s revival, but the franchise has now placed faith in a newcomer at a critical stage of the season.

**Who is Saurabh Dubey?**

Born in Wardha (Maharashtra), Dubey is a left-arm medium pacer who bats right-handed. He represents Vidarbha in domestic cricket and has quietly built his career in the domestic circuit. So far, he has featured in eight List A matches and three domestic T20s. While he is yet to take a wicket in T20 cricket, he has picked up 16 wickets in the 50-over format. His selection for such a high-pressure game marks a major step in his career.

**SRH link before KKR chance**

Dubey had previously been part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad setup. He was bought in the auction ahead of the 2022 season but never got a game during his stint and was released before the following campaign. KKR’s decision has now handed him a long-awaited IPL debut.

With KKR fighting to stay alive in the playoff race, Dubey’s debut comes under intense spotlight — a little-known domestic pacer suddenly tasked with filling the void left by one of the side’s most influential bowlers.

**RCB vs KKR TEAMS:**

KKR Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

KKR Impact subs: Saurabh Dubey, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert

RCB Playing XI: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood

RCB Impact subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh