Rajasthan Royals\u2019 IPL 2026 campaign ended after Qualifier 2 on Friday, but the bigger talking point behind the scenes was Sam Curran\u2019s absence. Curran missed the season due to a groin injury, yet he marked his return in England\u2019s Vitality Blast for Surrey on May 22\u2014an outcome that left Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara visibly disappointed.<\/p>\n
Sangakkara said he had been informed that Curran\u2019s injury was severe enough to end his season, but that he nonetheless saw the allrounder take the field for Surrey in the Blast. Speaking at a press conference following RR\u2019s exit from the tournament, he described the situation as disappointing and added that the Royals would have welcomed Curran into their XI.<\/p>\n
He explained that the guidance they received was that Curran would not be available, while his own observation suggested that Curran had already played a couple of matches for Surrey. Sangakkara added that having Curran in Royals colours would have been a boost for the side\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n
The Royals\u2019 plan changed after Curran pulled out of IPL 2026. The public news of his withdrawal became known on March 19, and at that stage Curran indicated he would return only when conditions felt right.<\/p>\n
Sangakkara\u2019s comments also reflected the contrast between the message RR received about a \u201cseason-ending injury\u201d and the later reality of Curran featuring in the Blast. Curran had previously framed his recovery timeline as one driven by how his body responded, rather than a fixed date.<\/p>\n
With Curran having already communicated to the Royals that he could not play, RR brought in Dasun Shanaka as a replacement. The switch was made on March 23, but it triggered a second wave of issues because Shanaka\u2019s overseas commitments became entangled with the league timing.<\/p>\n
Curran has appeared in three Vitality Blast matches for Surrey so far. At this stage, he is their leading run-scorer with 141 runs across three innings, even though he has not bowled in the competition yet.<\/p>\n
In earlier comments reported by British media, Curran described his groin issue as something he had been managing throughout the T20 World Cup earlier in the year. He said the problem gradually worsened, that scans revealed damage significant enough to force a difficult call, and that it was affecting him quite a bit.<\/p>\n
The broader debate around overseas players who do not honour IPL commitments has surfaced repeatedly, and the issue gained formal enforcement in September 2024 when the BCCI announced a two-year ban for players who withdraw after being picked at IPL auctions.<\/p>\n
While Sangakkara stressed that injuries can happen, he still suggested that RR would have benefited from Curran being part of the setup during what would have been his first season with the franchise.<\/p>\n
He pointed to other overseas players who have arrived at the Royals but did not get much game time, noting that they still contributed by putting in hard work, practicing, supporting the squad through daily efforts, and backing the team through the journey.<\/p>\n
Wrapping up, Sangakkara reiterated that it is ultimately each individual player\u2019s decision whether to come, but he maintained that the IPL framework needs to stay strict. He argued the policy exists to make sure contractual responsibilities are met properly, and he believes every franchise in the league stands to gain when that principle is followed consistently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rajasthan Royals\u2019 IPL 2026 campaign ended after Qualifier 2 on Friday, but the bigger talking point behind the scenes was Sam Curran\u2019s absence. Curran missed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Sangakkara on Sam Curran\u2019s Surrey Return","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026: Kumar Sangakkara reacts to Sam Curran\u2019s Surrey return, explaining why the timing and fitness update left Rajasthan Royals frustrated.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n