Kolkata Knight Riders expect Cameron Green to resume bowling in Thursday’s home fixture against Lucknow Super Giants, a small but welcome boost for a side already juggling a lengthy injury sheet.
The Australian all-rounder has not delivered a ball in IPL 2026. Instructions from Cricket Australia (CA) had restricted him to batting duties while he nursed a back complaint. As CA put it on 30 March: “Cameron has a lower-back injury, which is being managed, but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period… [he is] rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to return in around 10-12 days’ time.” The ten-day mark has passed, KKR’s medical staff are satisfied, and team-management say Green is ready for a “competitive burst” at Eden Gardens.
His absence with the ball has stretched a Knight Riders attack already minus Mustafizur Rahman (BCCI directives), Harshit Rana and Akash Deep (pre-tournament injuries). Sunil Narine missed the previous outing through illness, while Varun Chakravarthy is nursing a damaged hand. The experiment of relying on part-timers and power-play spin has not paid off: defeats to Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad were followed by a rain-ruined match against Punjab Kings that barely got beyond three overs.
Green’s batting returns have hardly softened the blow—scores of 18, 2 and 4 after KKR spent a record INR 25.20 crore to secure him, although the league’s salary cap limits his pay to INR 18 crore. Aaron Finch, speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut, sensed a player caught between roles. “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.”
So far Green has appeared at No. 3 twice and No. 4 once. Whether a return to his full all-round skill-set unlocks the fluency Finch craves is the next question. A couple of overs of brisk seam could equally help skipper Shreyas Iyer spread his limited resources more evenly through the middle and death phases.
There is still caution in the camp—nobody fancies re-aggravating the back so early in a long tournament. Yet with KKR already scrambling for points, even a two-over cameo from Green could tilt the balance. Thursday evening should reveal how much rust he has shed, and whether the Knight Riders have finally found the dual-threat cricketer they broke the auction record for.
