Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad have announced Saurabh Dubey and David Payne as replacements for the injured Akash Deep and Jack Edwards respectively, gearing up for the upcoming IPL season.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad have named Saurabh Dubey and David Payne as replacements for the injured Akash Deep and Jack Edwards respectively ahead of IPL 2026, starting on March 28, 2026.
India pacer Akash Deep has been ruled out of IPL 2026 with a lumbar stress injury. He will remain under the supervision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings have roped in Australian pacer Spencer Johnson in place of his injured compatriot Nathan Ellis.
Johnson, who played for Gujarat Titans and KKR previously, will join CSK for Rs 1.5 crore. The pacer has so far played 8 T20Is and 5 T20Is for Australia.
"Saurabh, a left-arm pacer, will replace Akash at KKR. He will join KKR for Rs 30 lakh," an IPL media advisory stated.
Saurabh, the 28-year-old Vidarbha bowler, who is yet to make his IPL debut, was previously part of the SRH squad.
Meanwhile, England pacer Payne has been signed by SRH as a replacement for Jack Edwards, who has been sidelined with a foot injury. Edwards had earlier been picked up by SRH for Rs 3 crore following a bidding contest with Chennai Super Kings.
Payne, who has featured in one ODI for England and played 233 T20 matches, claiming 304 wickets, will join SRH for Rs 1.5 crore.