Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has questioned Sam Curran\u2019s choice to step away from the ongoing IPL, saying it was hard to reconcile an injury layoff claim with the England allrounder turning out for Surrey in the T20 Blast. Curran had been expected to play a major role for RR after arriving from Chennai Super Kings through a trade that also involved Ravindra Jadeja, but his IPL participation changed after he reported a groin problem following the T20 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Curran ultimately withdrew from the IPL after the groin injury, and Rajasthan moved to replace him with Dasun Shanaka. The Sri Lankan allrounder went on to feature only seven times for the Royals across the campaign, including the second qualifier that Rajasthan lost on Friday, May 29.<\/p>\n
After that defeat, Sangakkara said he was disappointed to see Curran playing for Surrey while the IPL was still in progress. He noted that the team had been informed that Curran\u2019s injury was season-ending, but questioned what that meant given his recent games for Surrey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury,\u201d Sangakkara said. \u201cBut I think I saw him playing for Surrey for two or three games now. So that was disappointing. We would have loved to have had him here playing for us. But I think (it was good) having Dasun Shanaka as a replacement when we were told early.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curran has captained Surrey in each of his three games so far, and he is also leading the tournament run charts at the time of writing despite not having bowled yet. The situation has kept his IPL future as a talking point, especially because he had previously suggested he didn\u2019t have a firm return date.<\/p>\n
A couple of months earlier, Curran had told the media that his comeback would depend on how the injury progressed. He said the issue had been worsening gradually and that scans confirmed damage, forcing him into a difficult decision that left him disappointed to miss the IPL.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an injury that I\u2019ve kind of been battling with a little bit,\u201d Curran had said. \u201cIt has gradually got fractionally worse. I went for a couple of scans and it showed reasonable damage, so I had to make the tough decision. It was hindering me quite a bit. To miss the IPL was very disappointing, and now I guess I just have rehab block of trying to get strong and fit for whenever it feels right. It will be tough to watch the IPL because I know that I\u2019d like to have been there, but injuries are part of sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
While there is no fresh word yet on how Curran\u2019s situation might affect his IPL prospects, Sangakkara backed the BCCI\u2019s approach to players who pull out after being selected in the auction. He described the policy as \u201ctight\u201d and said it must remain firm, particularly to ensure that contractual commitments are honoured.<\/p>\n
Sangakkara also stressed that injuries are a normal part of sport, and that serious, season-ending problems should be understood. At the same time, he pointed to the many overseas players who arrived with the intention to contribute but often had to wait for their chances during most of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a proper tight policy around that is always a requirement,\u201d Sangakkara said. \u201cAnd the BCCI has a strict policy on that. Every person goes through injuries. And if it\u2019s a serious injury, a season-ending injury, of course we understand. We\u2019ve had quite a few injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that Rajasthan have also seen overseas players come in and spend much of the season without much game time. Sangakkara cited Adam Milne, Shimron Hetmyer, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Kwena Maphaka as examples of players who worked hard with the group even when they weren\u2019t featuring regularly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve also had players like Adam Milne, (Shimron) Hetmyer, quite a few who\u2019ve come here, and not had much of a game,\u201d he said. \u201cLhuan-dre Pretorius is another. Kwena Maphaka is another one. They\u2019ve been here. They\u2019ve done the hard yards, they\u2019ve practised, they\u2019ve carried water for the team. And they\u2019ve really worked as hard as anyone else to support the team on this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sangakkara concluded by reiterating that the decision to attend ultimately rests with the individual player, but argued that strict rules are needed so contractual obligations are met properly. He said he expects the league to benefit if the policy stays firm.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I mean, it\u2019s 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\u2019s the way it should continue to be very strict. To make sure that contractual obligations are met properly and genuinely. And I think every side in the IPL will benefit from that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has questioned Sam Curran\u2019s choice to step away from the ongoing IPL, saying it was hard to reconcile an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Sangakkara Questions Sam Curran IPL Break, Groin Issue","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Kumar Sangakkara challenges Sam Curran\u2019s IPL break, pointing to his Surrey T20 Blast return after a groin issue\u2014what it means for Rajasthan Royals.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n