Cameron GreeneThe bowler’s unavailability despite Kolkata Knight Riders signing him for INR 25.20 crore in the IPL 2026 auction – making him the highest-paid player in this edition – has become a major talking point after KKR’s opening match loss to Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Adding more fuel to the fire was the captain. Ajinkya RahaneWhen asked on Cricket Australia why Green did not bowl in the game?Rahane’s response – “You’ll have to ask Cricket Australia that question” – prompted a quick clarification from the Australian Cricket Board, which said Green was suffering from a lower back injury and therefore needed to abstain from bowling for a short period of time.
The CA statement added that KKR was already aware of the situation, essentially placing the blame on Rahane and the KKR management for the captain’s comments.
Auctions, expectations and confusion
Now, whether KKR was aware of this situation before they broke the bank for the 26-year-old in the auction is a different matter. But it was Green himself who said in December that he would be available to bowl in the IPL. However, with CA clearly stating that Green is still rebuilding his bowling load in India and that it will take another 10-12 days for him to bowl in a match, it raises the question of whether KKR have to follow any mandate set by CA when it comes to Green.Green had lower back surgery in 2024 and has not bowled much since his return. When it came to the auction, Green was curiously listed in the batsmen category, further reinforcing the fact that the all-rounder would not be available as a complete all-rounder.However, confusion arose when Green said that listing him as a pure batsman was a cognitive error by his manager, and that he was in fact available to bowl. Be that as it may, the fact that Green found himself in the initial set of players to be auctioned meant that most teams had their wallets full and went head-to-head for the West Australian’s services, and he eventually ended up with a handsome salary of Rs 25.20 crore. If Green had been listed as an all-rounder, and if he had come up for auction at a much later stage, would teams have gone as hard on him?
KKR’s call or Cricket Australia’s control?
But cognitive error or not, KKR picked him up from the batsmen, so clearly they needed him even though his bowling availability was a question mark at that point. And as Cricket Australia reiterated, KKR have been informed of the situation. So why was Rahane upset over the fact that Green couldn’t bowl in the game against Mumbai Indians? A possible explanation is that Green might have bowled in the nets at the KKR camp, and Rahane and the team management might have deemed him fit enough to bowl in the match.However, here is the catch. Despite KKR hiring Green, the fact that he is a centrally contracted player with Cricket Australia means that the board has control over the player when it comes to workload management and related matters. The franchise – KKR in this instance – has to abide by what CA tells them to do with their players, even though they have paid a significant price to hire him.
There is no new trend in franchise cricket.
And this is not the first such incident in the IPL or for that matter, any franchise league around the world. Mitchell Marsh, another Australian all-rounder who was not considered fully fit to bowl like Green, has played as a pure batsman in the past in the IPL.Sri Lankan players, who have been signed by various IPL teams, have to wait for NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket based on their fitness before joining their respective IPL teams.Now, with Green, it’s mainly a matter of workload management versus a franchise aiming to fully utilize the player it bought, and KKR will have no option but to look to CA for guidance on Green.
Ashwin, Chopra and the salary debate
It also raises a pertinent question raised by R. Ashwin a few days ago. If there are restrictions on Green’s bowling, the franchises – or the IPL – must also deduct a portion of the player’s salary. As he pointed out, “If he doesn’t deliver his four overs, you should have the right to cut their money, right? When you came into the IPL auction, the expectation was that you would bowl four overs, and bat as well.”“After yesterday’s game, former cricketer and commentator Akash Chopra also toed Ashwin’s line, saying, “If you pay for an all-rounder and get a batsman in return, you should at least be eligible for a refund.”
Balance issues and the big picture
Barring a pay cut or refund and all other technicalities, Green’s unavailability as a bowler has put KKR in a pickle. For Rahane, it is more about the balance that Green, as an all-rounder, brings to his team. With an inexperienced bowling attack – effectively a second-string unit due to injury breaks and other issues that deprived them of their first-choice pace attack – KKR were unable to defend a mammoth total of 220 in their first game. Rahane’s frustration seemed more rooted in the fact that Green’s additional bowling option would have given him more flexibility.
