Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has been cleared to bowl in IPL 2026, handing Kolkata Knight Riders a significant boost ahead of their Thursday fixture against Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens on April 9.
Green had been restricted to batting duties since the tournament began after Cricket Australia officially notified KKR that he would begin the season as a specialist batter due to a lower-back injury. Over ten days on from that communication, Green is now reported to have sufficiently recovered and is ready to contribute with the ball.
CA had outlined the situation on March 30, stating: “Cameron has a lower-back injury, which is being managed, but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period. Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to return in around 10-12 days’ time.”
The timing could not be more critical for a KKR side already stretched thin in their pace department. The franchise has been operating without frontline seamers Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana, while Akash Deep and Bangladeshi quick Mustafizur Rahman who was released earlier amid strained India-Bangladesh relations are also unavailable. Their bowling troubles deepened further when mystery spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy both missed the side’s previous game for separate reasons.
KKR have played three matches so far, losing to Mumbai Indians and SunRisers Hyderabad before a washout against Punjab Kings handed them their first point of IPL 2026. They currently sit eighth on the table.
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Green himself has offered little with the bat across those three outings, managing a combined 24 runs while batting at different positions at number three in the first and third games, and number four in the second, where he was dismissed for four off two deliveries by compatriot Xavier Bartlett of PBKS.
Former Australian captain and IPL player Aaron Finch has urged KKR to rethink Green’s deployment. “One of those dismissals has been a run out [against SRH], not a part of his fault. Still, he’s missed out twice. There’s a bit of panic; he’s not looking the same as the past,” Finch said. “Remember when he was at the top of the order for MI how he had a totally different intent. He was imposing at the crease. Now he looks tentative. Don’t push him down. Push him either up the order, or give him a rest,” he added.
Bought for INR 25.20 crore at last year’s auction, Green became the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history a tag that has added weight to every underwhelming innings so far this season.