Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have acted quickly to deal with their growing injury concerns, bringing in Vidarbha pacer Saurabh Dubey as a replacement for Akash Deep ahead of IPL 2026. The 28-year-old left-arm seamer, who had been training with the squad as a net bowler, now finds himself promoted to the main team just days before the season begins.

Dubey may not yet be a familiar name in the IPL, but he comes with potential and the advantage of already being part of the KKR setup during pre-season. His inclusion gives the team a much-needed option in their depleted pace department.

Akash Deep out of IPL 2026 due to lower back injury

Akash Deep, meanwhile, has been ruled out after suffering a stress reaction in his lower back – an injury that typically requires several weeks of recovery. The Bengal pacer had picked up the issue during a Ranji Trophy match earlier this year and has since been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He never joined KKR’s pre-season camp, leaving the franchise short on domestic pace resources.

Dubey’s journey to this opportunity hasn’t been straightforward. He was previously part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)’s squad in IPL 2022, but injuries cut that stint short. After going unsold in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, he remained in the available player pool, waiting for a chance – and now, that opportunity has arrived.

“He is a very talented left-arm fast bowler. He gets extra bounce off the wicket and can swing the ball both ways. It’s a good call by the Knight Riders management,” said Subroto Banerjee, highlighting Dubey’s strengths.

A KKR official also confirmed that Dubey had already been impressing in training sessions. “Dubey was a net bowler for KKR and was practising with them at Eden Gardens and in their camp in Mumbai, but he will now be in the main squad,” the official said.

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Injury concerns mount but KKR remain optimistic

While Dubey’s inclusion provides some relief, KKR’s injury list continues to be a major concern. Akash Deep is not the only pacer missing – young fast bowler Harshit Rana has also been ruled out after undergoing knee surgery. His absence, combined with Deep’s injury, leaves a significant gap in the team’s bowling plans.

Adding to the challenge, marquee signing Matheesha Pathirana is also unavailable for the opening matches as he recovers from a calf strain. His return is expected only around mid-April, meaning KKR will have to navigate the initial phase of the tournament without one of their key overseas pacers.

The franchise has already made other adjustments, including bringing in Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani earlier, but the constant changes have forced the management to rethink their bowling combinations.

Despite these setbacks, mentor Dwayne Bravo remains confident in the team’s depth and ability to adapt.

“The good thing about Indian cricket, especially at the moment, is that there is a lot of depth. There’re the likes of Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora… they are young, exciting talents,” Bravo said.

KKR will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium. With a reshuffled bowling attack and a mix of experienced players and fresh faces, the team faces an early test of its resilience.

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Gold and silver prices witnessed a steep decline at the opening of trade on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) on Monday, as escalating tensions in the Middle East and inflationary pressures linked to higher crude oil prices reinforced expectations of elevated global interest rates.

Silver futures on the MCX, expiring in May 2026, dropped by Rs 13,606, or 6 per cent, to Rs 2,13,166 per kilogram. Gold futures for April 2026 delivery also saw a sharp fall, slipping Rs 7,115, or 5 per cent, to Rs 1,37,377 per 10 grams.

Stock market recommendations: Ipca Laboratories, and Hindalco are the top stocks that Motilal Oswal Wealth Management Research Desk has picked for this week starting March 23, 2026.

Ipca LaboratoriesIpca Laboratories is witnessing improving growth visibility driven by a recovery in its domestic formulations business and a gradual pickup in exports. The company is strengthening its domestic portfolio through therapy expansion in cardiology, pain management, and entry into high-end dermatology, while reinforcing key brands like Zerodol. Export growth is supported by increasing traction in branded markets and a steady ramp-up in generics, aided by product relaunches in the United States and participation in European tenders. The integration of the Unichem business is progressing, with focus on improving cost efficiencies through API integration and rebuilding the product pipeline, although near-term performance remains impacted by pricing pressure. Overall, improving operating leverage, portfolio optimization, and better execution across segments position the company for steady earnings growth.HindalcoHindalco remains well positioned to benefit from structural demand tailwinds across aluminum and copper, driven by electrification, renewable energy, infrastructure, and electric vehicle adoption, particularly in India where growth continues to outpace global trends. The company’s strategic focus on backward integration, including captive coal mines and renewable energy, is expected to enhance cost efficiency and margin resilience.Its ongoing expansion across upstream and downstream segments, along with increasing share of value-added products, supports long-term profitability and diversification. However, near-term performance may remain impacted by temporary disruptions at Novelis, including the Oswego plant issue and elevated capital intensity. Despite this, strong balance sheet strength, improving domestic operations, and long-term growth visibility underpin a constructive outlook.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

As tensions spike in the Middle East, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took a swipe at US President Donald Trump, mocking him with his own catchphrase: “You’re fired.”The remark came from an IRGC spokesperson after Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding that Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face US strikes on its power infrastructure.“Hey, Trump, you’re fired. You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the spokesperson said, in a pointed jab that echoed Trump’s signature line from his time as host of The Apprentice. The closing line, “Thank you for your attention to this matter”, also appeared to mimic Trump’s tone on social media posts.

This comes after Donald Trump warned that the United States would “hit and obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, a move that would directly target critical civilian infrastructure.Iran responded with its own sweeping threat. Military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said that if Iran’s energy network were attacked, Tehran would retaliate against US-linked assets across the Gulf.“If Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy infrastructure, as well as information technology…and water desalination facilities, belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted pursuant to previous warnings,” he said.Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf reinforced that warning, saying key infrastructure across the Middle East could be “irreversibly destroyed” if Iranian power plants were hit.At the heart of the standoff is the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but critical shipping route through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes.Iran has already moved to effectively shut the strait amid the conflict, triggering the worst energy disruption since the 1970s. The IRGC warned the waterway would remain closed until damaged Iranian infrastructure is rebuilt.“The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed and will not be opened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt,” Iran said.The near-closure has already rattled global markets, with oil prices rising and European gas prices surging sharply in recent days.The latest war, launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, has now stretched beyond three weeks, with more than 2,000 people reported killed.