RR head coach Sangakkara bats for 'strict policy' as Sam Curran seen playing in England after IPL withdrawal

Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara is not happy with Sam Curran who was supposed to be playing for his team in the Indian Premier League but is currently turning out for Surrey in the T20 Blast in England.

Curran was traded from the Chennai Super Kings to the Royals ahead of IPL 2026 but the all-rounder withdrew from the competition citing an injury. However, he is currently playing in the T20 Blast for his home county.

Sangakkara said he was disappointed with Curran as he would have loved the all-rounder to be playing for his team.

Sangakkara unhappy with Curran

Rajasthan lost to Gujarat in the second qualifier to get knocked out of the tournament. After the loss, Sangakkara expressed disappointment that Curran did not join the team.

“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,” Sangakkara told reporters after RR’s seven-wicket defeat. “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.”

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Former Sri Lanka captain Shanaka could not do much for the Royals with the bat or ball as RR struggled to give proper support to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer who both had a terrific season.

Sangakkara also said that a "tight policy" is a requirement in such cases.

“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.

Curran has played three matches for Surrey but only as a batter. Sangakkara also gave examples of other players in his side who did not regularly feature but were still working hard on the bench to support the team.

“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 practiced. 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."