Kumar Sangakkara, the director of Cricket and head coach of Rajasthan Royals, shared his disappointment regarding Sam Curran’s participation in the T20 Blast with Surrey after withdrawing from this year’s IPL.
Rajasthan Royals traded for Curran and Ravindra Jadeja from Chennai Super Kings in exchange for Sanju Samson prior to the auction. Curran was set to earn INR 2.4 crore from the team for IPL 2026. Unfortunately, he sustained a groin injury after England’s semifinal exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in March, leading to his removal from the entire season.
This situation led Rajasthan Royals to search for a replacement, and they eventually signed Sri Lankan allrounder Dasun Shanaka for INR 2 crore. Shanaka chose to skip the Pakistan Super League to join the IPL but was later banned for a year by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Meanwhile, Curran has returned to competitive cricket, captaining Surrey in the T20 Blast. He played his first game for Surrey against Lancashire on May 22 and has scored 141 runs in three matches, making him the top scorer for his team so far. However, he has yet to bowl in the tournament.
Sangakkara expressed his frustration over Curran’s decision to play in the T20 Blast instead of fulfilling his obligations to Rajasthan Royals.
“We were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury,” Sangakkara commented after Rajasthan Royals were eliminated from IPL 2026 following a seven-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2. “But I think I’ve seen him play for Surrey for two or three games now. So that was disappointing. We would have loved to have him here playing for us. But it was good to have Dasun Shanaka as a replacement when we were informed early.”