IPL 2026: Top 3 KKR bowlers to watch out for

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling line-up will once again be led by Sunil Narine in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This is going to be a season where the Knights are going to look to redeem themselves after finishing eighth last season.

Ajinkya Rahane has once again been given the responsibility of leading the side. This time, he will have a huge challenge with injuries and inexperience disrupting the bowling department. Harshit Rana, who has been with the KKR setup for a few years now, has been ruled out of the tournament. Matheesha Pathirana will also miss the first few games after sustaining a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup last month.

However, KKR still have some excellent bowlers in their line-up who can cause problems for even the better batting units in the competition.

Here are the top three bowlers to watch out for within the KKR squad:

3. Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana is reportedly set to miss the first few games but join the three-time champions soon. His injury is thankfully not as serious as it seemed. KKR signed Pathirana for a whopping INR 18 crore.

The Sri Lankan seamer is known for his ability to bowl pinpoint yorkers at pace. His slower ball is also quite deceptive, especially because of his slingy action. Pathirana didn't perform well for the Chennai Super Kings last year, but he had just returned from an injury and was using a new action. He looked in better rhythm before his injury and would want to play a key role in his first season at his new franchise.

2. Varun Chakaravarthy

Varun Chakaravarthy has been in scintillating form in the last two seasons of the IPL. He has been among the wickets, bamboozling some of the best batters in world cricket with his mystery spin.

However, the Tamil Nadu spinner wasn't at his best during the IPL. While he did finish as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, he went for a lot of runs in the business end of it. Chakaravarthy seemed to bowl too many googlies and didn't look like he was trying to vary his pace. KKR fans would hope he comes out all guns blazing in the IPL.

1. Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine has always been the most dependable bowler for the Knights, season after season. He has maintained his consistency over the years, despite changing his action.

Narine is someone that opposite teams don't often target. He bowls economical spells, putting pressure on the batters. These batters look to take the attack to the other bowlers, who get the chance to pick up wickets. Narine will look to make a significant impact in the upcoming season. In the absence of Andre Russell, who has taken a coaching role at the franchise ahead of this season, Narine is the most experienced member who would look to inspire the youngsters on the field.