In this article, we will look at three overseas players who will start for KKR in IPL 2026
The 19th season of the IPL is about to get underway, and all teams would want to come up with strong performances in order to increase their chances of winning.
For that to happen, they will rely on the overseas players to come good with bat and ball, as they have been the flavour of the league over the years.
Let’s talk about three overseas players who will start for KKR in IPL 2026
Finn Allen
New Zealand’s formidable batter Finn Allen, who smashed a century off just 33 balls during the 2026 T20 World Cup, is one of the three overseas players who will start for KKR in IPL 2026, who successfully bid Rs 2 crore for his services. Allen has previously been part of the RCB squad but never received the opportunity to make his debut.
The Record
Finn Allen has scored 1,663 runs across 62 T20 International innings for New Zealand, a tally that includes three centuries and seven half-centuries. In the shortest format of international cricket, his highest score stands at 137, and he has struck 146 fours and 115 sixes.
The Opportunity
As mentioned above, although he is yet to play in the IPL, the Kiwi opener has played a total of 182 T20 matches. In these matches, he has amassed 5259 runs—featuring a highest score of 151 along with 467 fours and 342 sixes. This sets the stage for what promises to be an exciting IPL career for Finn Allen, likely commencing with KKR in just a few days.
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Blessing Muzarabani
The three-time IPL champions have signed Zimbabwe’s fast bowler, Blessing Muzarabani, for the 2026 IPL season, who opted out of his PSL contract to play in the IPL, as is expected to be among the overseas players who will start for KKR in IPL 2026. The Zimbabwean player went unsold during last month’s PSL auction; however, Islamabad United subsequently signed him directly as a replacement for the West Indies’ pacer Shamar Joseph.
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The Performance
Muzarabani delivered a stellar performance during the recently concluded T20 World Cup, a tournament in which his team advanced to the Super 8 stage. Across six matches played in India and Sri Lanka, Muzarabani claimed 13 wickets, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker. Only Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy took more wickets than him in the tournament.
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The Replacement
Prior to signing Muzarabani, KKR had released the Bangladeshi left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman last December. This marks Muzarabani’s second stint with an IPL team; he previously served as a temporary replacement player for Royal Challengers Bangaluru during the latter stages of IPL 2025.
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine could prove to be a formidable threat to batters in IPL 2026, which makes him one of the players who can start for KKR in IPL 2026. Last year Narine claimed 12 wickets for the team. Narine’s record in the IPL so far has been exceptional; across 188 matches, he has taken 192 wickets at a bowling average of 25.64, with his best bowling performance standing at 5 for 19.
Also Read: Top 5 Indian Batters with Highest Strike Rate in T20I Cricket Ft. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson
