Rajasthan Royals Head Coach and Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara rued 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 the Rajasthan Royals in a trade deal from CSK last year. The trade involved a player swap 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 IPL exit took a controversial turn when he was seen playing for his home county of Surrey in the T20 Blast in England, despite RR making the playoffs.
RR's IPL campaign ended on Friday when they lost the second Qualifier to the Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh. GT will now face the defending champions and table-toppers, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the IPL Final at Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Curran, in fact, was in action for Surrey against Hampshire on Friday, even as RR's IPL 2026 campaign and the hopes for a second IPL title came to an end.
Sam Curran has been captaining Surrey in the T20 Blast over the last few years, including in 2026. In 3 matches, he has made 141 runs but has chosen not to bowl himself. Surrey won their first two games in the competition before losing to Hampshire on Friday.
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"Disappointing to not see him with us" - Kumar Sangakkara
After RR's loss on Friday, Sangakkara addressed reporters and spoke about Curran's absence.
"We were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury, but I think I saw him playing for Surrey for two or three games now, so that was disappointing," he said.
"We'd have loved to have had him here playing for us, but we got Dasun Shanaka as a replacement after we were informed early."
"A tight policy is needed" - Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara questioned Curran's commitment and said the BCCI needed to form a stricter policy regarding players who pull out despite being fit.
"A proper, tight policy around that is always a requirement. The BCCI has a strict policy on that. Every player goes through injuries, and if it's a serious injury, a season-ending injury, of course, we understand," he said.
"We've had quite a few injuries. We've also had players like Adam Milne and Hetmyer, who've come here and not had much of a game. Lhuan-dre Pretorius is another one."
"Kwenna Maphaka is another one. They've been here, they've done the hard yards. They've practised. They've carried water for the team, and they've really worked as hard as anyone else to support the team on this journey. It's really up to that individual player to decide whether they want to come or not."
"But I think the BCCI policy around it is very strict now, and that's the way it should continue to be, to make sure that contractual obligations are met properly and genuinely. I think every side in the IPL will benefit from that," he added.
The BCCI's new policy states that if players pull out from the tournament for reasons other than injury, then they would have to face a two-year ban from the IPL.
