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Rajasthan Royals head coach and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara regretted the absence of English all-rounder Sam Curran from IPL 2026.
Curran was ruled out of the tournament before the start of the season with a groin injury. RR then signed Sri Lankan Dasun Shanaka as his replacement.
Sam Curran joined Rajasthan Royals from CSK last year in a trade deal. The trade involved a swap of players between RR and CSK, with Ravindra Jadeja and Curran moving from CSK to RR in exchange for Sanju Samson.
Sam Curran features in Vitality Blast despite IPL-ending injury
Sam Curran’s exit from the IPL took a controversial turn when he was seen playing for his home county Surrey in the T20 Blast in England despite RR reaching the playoffs.
RR’s IPL campaign ended on Friday when they lost the second qualifier to Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh. GT will now face defending champions and table-toppers Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Curran, in fact, was in action for Surrey against Hampshire on Friday, even as RR’s IPL 2026 campaign and hopes of a second IPL title ended.
Sam Curran has been captaining Surrey in the T20 Blast for the past few years, including in 2026. He has scored 141 runs in 3 matches, but has decided not to bowl himself. Surrey won their first two games in the competition before losing to Hampshire on Friday.
“Disappointed not to see him with us” – Kumar Sangakkara
After RR’s defeat on Friday, Sangakkara addressed reporters and talked about Curran’s absence.
“We were told Sam Curran had a season-ending injury, but I think I’ve only seen him play for Surrey for two or three games now, so that was disappointing,” he said.
“We would have liked him to play for us here, but after we were informed in advance we replaced him with Dasun Shanaka.”
“A strict policy is needed” – Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara questioned Curran’s commitment and said that the BCCI needs to make a strict policy regarding players opting out despite being fit.
“A proper, strict policy for this is always a requirement. The BCCI has a strict policy on this. Every player goes through injuries, and if it is a serious injury, a season-ending injury, then of course, we understand,” he said.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries. We’ve also had players like Adam Milne and Hetmyer who have come here and not played a lot of games. Luan-Dre Pretorius is another player.”
“Kwena Mafaka is another one. He’s come here, he’s worked hard. He’s practiced. He’s delivered water for the team, and he’s really worked as hard as anybody to support the team on this journey. It’s really up to the individual player to decide whether they want to come or not.”
“But I think the BCCI’s policy around this is now very strict and should continue to be, to ensure that contractual obligations are met fairly and realistically. I think every party in the IPL will benefit from that,” he said.
BCCI’s new policy states that if players withdraw from the tournament due to reasons other than injury, they will have to face a two-year ban from the IPL.
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