Viral infection to Harshit Rana could be blessing in disguise for KKR

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, on October 12 (Saturday), announced that Harshit Rana wasn’t available for selection for the third and final T20I in Hyderabad “due to a viral infection" due to which he did not travel with the team to the stadium.

Now, that would have come as disappointing news for the young seamer, who was almost certain to make his India debut considering the series was already won, but it’s an “infection” that Kolkata Knight Riders wouldn’t mind much. 

The Indian Premier League franchises can retain up to six players ahead of the 2025 auction, but the money will be deducted from their purse, which stands at INR 120 crore. 

The six players can be Indian or overseas, but at least one of them has to be uncapped who can be retained at INR 4 crore. According to the IPL rulebook for the 2025 auction, a player who makes his international debut before October 31 will be considered capped. 

With Harshit not playing a single T20I in the three-match series, the Knight Riders will now have an opportunity to retain him under the uncapped category. That is, of course, if the 22-year-old agrees to be retained for INR 4 crore. 

Harshit is also part of the travelling reserves for the three-match Test series against New Zealand. The first two Tests will be played before the aforementioned deadline. It’s highly unlikely that Harshit will play one of the first two Tests but if he does, KKR won’t be able to retain him as an uncapped player. 

Harshit played his first full IPL season earlier this year and managed to impress everyone. He picked up 19 wickets in 11 innings, averaging 20.2 and going at an economy rate of 9.1. 

That economy might look a tad higher but Rana bowled tough overs. He even managed to outbowl someone like Starc across phases. The Delhi pacer is an all-phase bowler and you don’t get that a lot in India. 

Before the series, Mayank Yadav and Nitish Reddy were also uncapped but ended up making their debuts in the very first game. As a result, Lucknow Super Giants (Mayank) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (Reddy) won’t be able to retain them under the INR 4 crore bracket. 

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here.