Kolkata: Star Australian all-rounder Cameron Green may finally be seen bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 when three-time champions face Lucknow Super Giants here on Thursday, offering a lift to their depleted bowling stock.
Green has not bowled so far this season following a back surgery, and he has been gradually building up his workload in the nets.
The Australian bowled at full throttle on the eve of KKR’s match against Punjab Kings on Monday and again sent down a few overs during Tuesday’s training session before it was cut short by a thunderstorm.
On the eve of their match against LSG, Green spent over 30 minutes at nets with full intent before another heavy thunderstorm, accompanied by strong winds and downpour, forced an early end to practice.
With more than 10 days having passed since Cricket Australia issued an advisory that Green would return to bowling “in around 10-12 days”, the all-rounder now appears ready to operate with the ball in a competitive match.
Green’s absence as a bowler has affected KKR’s combination, especially with multiple frontline options unavailable — Mustafizur Rahman (withdrawn), Harshit Rana and Akash Deep (injuries).
In their previous outing against Punjab Kings — which was abandoned after 3.4 overs — KKR were also without both their key spinners, Sunil Narine (abdominal pain) and Varun Chakravarthy (hand injury).
While Narine has recovered and is set to return, Chakravarthy’s comeback remains uncertain.
The India spinner was seen with his fingers strapped as he trained indoors.
Chakravarthy is in the middle of a lean run and is yet to pick up a wicket in two matches this season.
Green’s form with the bat has also been under scrutiny, with scores of 18, 2 and 4 in his three outings so far.
However, KKR have continued to back their highest-paid overseas signing, and his return as a bowling option could ease the pressure on both departments.
