IPL 2025: KKR May Retain Harshit Rana Despite India Debut Miss

Harshit Rana, a fast bowling all-rounder, would have personally preferred to make his Indian team debut in the series' third and final game against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) disclosed that he was unable to earn his first cap for the country due to a viral ailment. But as the saying goes, "every cloud has a silver lining," and it certainly applied to one domestic franchise.

The management and supporters of the Kolkata Knight Riders were especially happy that Rana did not play in the Hyderabad XI. For the three Tests that India will play against New Zealand, Harshit will be a member of the travelling reserves, but it is unlikely that the team management would make any changes to the regular members of the pace-bowling assault. India would still rely on the other players in the 15-person team even in that scenario.

Harshit Rana bags a spot in KKR:

The Governing Council announced that a player with an "uncapped" status can be kept by a specific franchise for INR 4 crore in accordance with the most recent rules and regulations. This basically indicates that KKR may decide to keep Rana. The regulation gives the franchise an option for the best use of its resources, but it does not decide Rana's future with the reigning champs.

When you read Johns and Mufa saying "Harshit Rana not playing due to illness"😂😭 pic.twitter.com/zTEgZdWd8d

— Brendon Mishra 🇮🇳🔥 (@KKRKaFan) October 12, 2024

Using the essentially saved money, KKR might also take advantage of this circumstance by making larger investments in other areas of the team. Rana's retention would have been considerably greater if he had been in the XI for the third Twenty20 International. The IPL Governing Council mandates that KKR and the other franchises submit their retention lists by October 31, 2024, at which point auctions will take place.

Watch this space for more cricket news.