Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have officially confirmed the signing of Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani as Mustafizur Rahman’s replacement ahead of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The official announcement was made on March 13, Friday as Muzarabani has pulled out of his Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 stint with the Islamabad United.
Why did Kolkata Knight Riders withdraw Mustafizur Rahman’s deal?
In early January, the three-time champions had released an official statement on releasing the Bangladeshi left-arm seamer, citing ‘recent developments’ seemingly hinting at the geopolitical developments across the region. Rahman was notably paid a hefty sum of ₹9.2 crore in the auction. The development followed a chain of other massive developments as Bangladesh banned IPL broadcast following the row.
A new Blessing in Purple & Gold 💜🔥 pic.twitter.com/p31V3LsGfm
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 13, 2026
Later, the government also refused to send the men’s team to India for T20 World Cup 2026, demanding for their matches to take place in Sri Lanka. Since the ICC refused to abide by the request, Bangladesh were removed from the tournament.
Blessing Muzarabani’s exploits in T20 World Cup 2026
A few unverified sources had earlier claimed that the right-arm speedster has withdrawn from the 2026 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to join the Knight Riders in IPL 2026. According to ESPN’s report on February 14, Islamabad United franchise had removed Shamar Joseph from their squad and drafted in Muzarabani as Joseph’s replacement, with the latter fetching a contract of PKR 11 million.
The 29-year-old’s outing in T20 World Cup 2026 is something that made him a hot prospect as he finished the marquee tournament with 13 scalps in six games, making him the fourth-highest wicket-taker. The Knight Riders will kickstart their campaign against the Mumbai Indians on March 29, Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The season will begin with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Kolkata endured a forgettable season in 2025 as they failed to reach the playoffs, managing only five wins and seven defeats in 12 games, thereby finishing at the eighth spot. However, the three-time champions will be looking to correct that.
Also Read: IPL 2026: BCCI Issues Strict Directives For All 10 Teams On Pitch Usage And Ground Allocation
