Cameron Green’s unavailability as a bowler, despite Kolkata Knight Riders acquiring his services for a whopping INR 25.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auctions – making him the highest-paid player this edition – has become a major talking point after KKR’s opening fixture loss to Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Adding further fuel to the fire was skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s jibe at Cricket Australia when he was asked why Green did not bowl in the game.Rahane’s response – “that question you need to ask Cricket Australia” – forced the Australian cricket board to put out a swift clarification, stating that Green is suffering from a lower back injury and is therefore required to abstain from bowling for a short period.
The CA statement further added that KKR were aware of the situation beforehand, essentially putting the onus back on Rahane and the KKR management for the comment the skipper made.
Auction, expectations and the confusion
Now, whether KKR knew about the situation or not before they broke the bank for the 26-year-old at the auction is a separate matter altogether. But it was Green himself who, in December, had stated that he would be available to bowl in the IPL. However, with CA clearly mentioning that Green is still rebuilding his bowling loads in India and that it will take another 10 – 12 days before he can bowl in a match, it raises the question of whether KKR had to follow any kind of mandate set by CA when it comes to Green.Green had undergone surgery on his lower back in 2024 and, since his return, he has not bowled much. When it came to the auction, Green was curiously listed in the batters category, further cementing the fact that the allrounder would not be available as a full-fledged allrounder.The confusion, though, arose when Green said that listing him as a pure batter was a clerical mistake 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 opening set of players to be auctioned meant that most teams had their purses full and went all out for the services of the Western Australian, and he eventually ended up with a stunning payday of INR 25.20 crore. Had Green been listed as an allrounder, and had he come up for auction at a much later stage, would teams have gone as hard for him?
KKR’s call or Cricket Australia’s control?
But clerical mistake or not, KKR picked him up from the batters lot, so clearly they needed him even though his bowling availability at that point was a question mark. And as Cricket Australia reiterates, KKR were made aware of the situation. So why was Rahane miffed at the fact that Green could not bowl in the game against Mumbai Indians? One possible explanation is that Green would have bowled in the nets at the KKR camp, and Rahane and the team management may have viewed him as fit enough to bowl in the match as well.However, here’s the catch. Despite KKR acquiring Green’s services, the fact that he is a centrally contracted player with Cricket Australia means the board has control over the player when it comes to workload management and related matters. The franchise – KKR in this instance – will have to abide by what CA tells them to do with their players, even though they have paid a significant price to acquire his services.
Not a new phenomenon in franchise cricket
And this is not the first such instance in the IPL, or for that matter, any franchise league around the world. Mitchell Marsh, another Australian allrounder who, similar to Green, was not deemed fully fit to bowl, has played as a pure batter in the IPL in the past.Sri Lankan players, who have been contracted by various IPL teams, still have to wait for the NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket based on their fitness before they can join their respective IPL sides.Now, with Green, it’s essentially a case of workload management versus a franchise aiming to fully utilise the player they have bought, and KKR would have no option but to look at CA for guidance on Green.
Ashwin, Chopra and the salary debate
This also raises a pertinent question that R Ashwin brought up a couple of days ago. If there are restrictions on Green’s bowling, franchises – or the IPL – should be able to deduct part of the player’s salary as well. As he pointed out, “If he is not able to deliver his four overs, then you should have the right to cut their money, right? When you came into the IPL auction, the expectation was that you would bowl all four overs, and also bat.”After yesterday’s game, former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra also toed Ashwin’s line, stating, “If you pay for an all-rounder and get a batsman in return, you should, at the very least, be eligible for a refund.”
Balance issues and the bigger picture
Salary deduction or refund and all the other technical aspects aside, Green’s non-availability as a bowler has put KKR in a pickle. For Rahane, it is more about the balance that Green, as an allrounder, brings to his side. With an inexperienced bowling attack – effectively a second-string unit due to a spate of injuries and other issues depriving them of their first-choice pace attack – KKR failed to defend a big 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.
