Cameron Green is expected to take his first bowling stint for Kolkata Knight Riders when they face Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Green was kept out of the action with the ball in KKR’s opening two matches of IPL 2026 against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, with KKR losing both encounters. In their third game versus Punjab Kings, the contest was abandoned after just 3.4 overs due to rain. KKR had been told on March 30 by Cricket Australia that Green would begin the season as a specialist batter. Cricket Australia said at the time that Green had a lower-back injury being managed, requiring him to pause bowling for a short period. It also added that he was rebuilding his bowling workload in India with the aim of returning in about 10 to 12 days.
With KKR now set to play their 15th match of the campaign and more than ten days since the earlier update, ESPNcricinfo has learned that Green is prepared to bowl in a match situation.
Green’s absence with the ball has added pressure to KKR’s bowling planning, particularly because several of their key options have been unavailable. Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the squad at the instructions of the BCCI well before the tournament began. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep were also sidelined with injuries shortly before the competition started. On top of that, Sunil Narine missed KKR’s previous fixture due to illness, while Varun Chakravarthy has struggled for runs and rhythm during a lean phase.
While Green has yet to bowl, his batting has also not offered complete consistency, raising further questions about his role in the XI since KKR snapped him up at the last auction for a record INR 25.20 crore. That was the top price ever paid for an overseas player at an IPL auction, though his IPL contract was capped at INR 18 crore under league rules. Through his three innings so far, Green has contributed 18, 2 and 4 runs.
Aaron Finch, speaking about his fellow countryman on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show on Tuesday, suggested Green’s recent impact has looked different. Finch said one of Green’s dismissals has been a run out against SRH and not something that reflected his own mistake. Still, he noted that Green has been getting out twice and looked as though there is some tension creeping into his game. Finch added that Green used to show a more decisive mindset when batting high in the order for MI, describing him as imposing at the crease, whereas now he appears tentative. Finch advised against pushing him down the batting lineup too far, recommending either an adjustment upwards or a rest. Green has batted at No. 3 twice and at No. 4 once so far in IPL 2026.
