Blessing Muzarabani and Virat Kohli - (Source:X.com)
The T20 World Cup 2026 is halfway through, and eight teams have advanced through to the next round. Zimbabwe’s performance has been the biggest talking point of the tournament so far as the Sikandar Raza-led side progressed to the Super 8 after beating Australia and Sri Lanka, courtesy of Blessing Muzarabani’s heroics.
The African side are yet to be defeated and enjoying the best phase of their life. Notably, Blessing Muzarabani has been their biggest contributor with 9 wickets in just three matches. The 29-year-old picked up a four-fer against Australia and a two-wicket haul against Sri Lanka.
At present, Blessing Muzarabani is in a lot of demand, but unfortunately, the left-arm seamer will be missed in IPL 2026 because he went unsold. The Zimbabwe star registered at a base price of 75 lakhs, but found no bidders.
Although there is still a possibility, as teams can sign him as a replacement in case of any injury setback. Therefore, this article will shed light on three teams that can bring in Zimbabwe's star as a replacement.
IPL Teams that can sign Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement
1.Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders are sweating hard over their players’ fitness. They have already dealt a setback as they had to leave Mustafizur Rahman because of geopolitical tensions between India and Bangladesh. Therefore, they are already a player short and are looking for a replacement.
Further, the Knight Riders are also worried about Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana. For the unversed, Rana was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 because of a knee injury, resulting in him now facing a race against time to be fit in time for the IPL.
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Meanwhile, Pathirana has also been ruled out of the tournament because of injury and is expected to take a month to recover. Therefore, KKR have a lot of injury concerns to deal with, and Blessing Muzarabani can be a great option considering his current form.
2.Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The defending champions, too, have plenty of injury concerns. Josh Hazlewood is struggling to return to action because of his achilles tendon. Notably, the right-arm seamer missed the ongoing T20 World Cup, and there is a doubt whether he will return in time for the league or not.
Other than Hazlewood, they also have a decision to make regarding Yash Dayal. The left-arm seamer has not played for over a year because of rape allegations. Therefore, RCB have a tough call to make, and if they have to let Dayal go, then Blessing Muzarabani can be a great option.
Notably, Muzarabani had also come in as a replacement for RCB during IPL 2025.
3. Sunrisers Hyderabad
For Hyderabad, they have the biggest concern, which is captain Pat Cummins’ availability. Cummins is nursing a back injury and featured in just a solitary Ashes Test as well. The right-arm seamer was all set to return for the World Cup, but his recovery was slower than expected.
Notably, the right-arm seamer was ruled out of the tournament, and now there are doubts over his IPL participation. In that case, Blessing Muzarabani can be a great option.
Note: Muzarabani has been currently roped in by Islamabad United, but in case an IPL offer comes, the Zimbabwe star can ditch the league for India, similar to how Corbin Bosch switched to MI in 2025.
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