 (2).png)
5 hours ago
2
ARTICLE AD BOX
Blessing Muzarabani is coming off a productive T20 World Cup 2026 with Zimbabwe, wherein he picked 13 wickets from six matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced the signing of Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The Kolkata Knight Riders' latest signing of Muzarabani comes in the aftermath of the pacer pulling out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season.
He will replace Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the KKR squad. Kolkata Knight Riders had released Mustafizur from their squad in December 2025 amid political tensions between India and Bangladesh. Mustafizur had been acquired for INR 9.20 crore at the IPL mini-auction in December last year.
Muzarabani was slated to represent Islamabad United in the upcoming PSL season, and according to ESPNCricinfo, he informed the PSL franchise of his decision to pull out of the PSL season.
This is not the first time a player has ditched the PSL for IPL. Mumbai Indians had signed South Africa’s Corbin Bosch as an injury replacement during IPL 2025. Bosch was a diamond pick for Peshawar Zalmi at the PSL draft ahead of the 2025 season, and in the aftermath of preferring IPL, he was banned from playing PSL for one year.
KKR releases statement on signing Blessing Muzarabani
“The 6 ft 8" right-arm quick has emerged as one of Zimbabwe’s leading pace bowlers in the shortest format, known for his steep bounce and ability to strike in key phases of the innings," three-time IPL winners KKR said in a statement on Friday.
“Muzarabani brings significant T20 experience, having claimed over 90 wickets in more than 80 T20 Internationals at an average of around 21, with best figures of 3/8. His pace and consistency across global leagues and international cricket add further depth to KKR’s pace attack heading into the season," the statement added.
The 29-year-old was the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, where Zimbabwe reached the Super 8 stage. He took 13 wickets from six matches, the same number of wickets as USA's Shadley Claude van Schalkwyk.
Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2026 campaign with a match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on 29 March. The IPL Governing Council recently released the fixtures of the first phase of the 2026 season, which will have 20 matches. The fixtures of this season's IPL season are being announced in phases due to the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Kerala.
English (US) ·