Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have suffered a massive blow, with Mustafizur Rahman set to be unavailable for IPL 2026. KKR bought him for INR 9.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction, but recent political tensions with Bangladesh have led the BCCI to make this call.
Now, KKR will need to find replacements for Mustafizur, and a few options will be available to choose from. Almost all quality ones are already sold, and those available have certain limitations that are too hard to ignore.
We check three players who can replace Mustafizur Rahman in IPL 2026.
Richard Gleeson
Richard Gleeson is the most obvious choice as Mustafizur Rahman's replacement, given that he is among the best out there among those unsold. Gleeson has been playing all around the world and brings decent skill sets in powerplay and death overs.
Additionally, he has the pace and can extract extra bounce due to his height, and KKR can use him as an enforcer in the middle overs. In 2025, Gleeson took 39 wickets at an average of 21.02 and an economy rate of 8.57 in 30 innings, including a best of 3/2.
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Will O'Rourke
Will O'Rourke was unsold in the auction, but KKR can opt for him as a replacement player. He brings certain attributes that are hard to replicate: high release and extra bounce with rising pace.
Hence, O'Rourke is a decent option for the powerplay and middle overs, since he can also move the new ball. The Kiwi speedster will only improve from here on, and the Knight Riders will get a long-term investment with obvious all-format skills.
Gus Atkinson
In Gus Atkinson, Kolkata Knight Riders get a solid enforcer who can complement their spinners superbly with a slightly older ball. His high pace and natural shorter lengths will work nicely on Eden Gardens, where pacers have historically been effective in IPL.
Then, he also brings the skills to move the new ball both ways, which can allow KKR to use Harshit Rana more in the middle and death overs. Atkinson is also a handy batter who can hit the ball long and will further add to the batting depth.
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