Sri Lanka Star Dasun Shanaka Joins Rajasthan Royals as Injured Sam Curran's Replacement for IPL 2026
Cricket fans, there is big, big news coming from IPL 2026. Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lanka captain, is coming to the Rajasthan Royals because Sam Curran got hurt and cannot play. Shanaka told his PSL team, Lahore Qalandars, that he is leaving them, and now all the papers are being signed for this switch.
Why Sam Curran is Not Playing
Sam Curran, who came to Rajasthan Royals through a big trade with Chennai Super Kings, where Sanju Samson went to CSK and RR got Ravindra Jadeja along with Curran, has a groin problem. The injury is very serious, so he cannot play in the whole tournament, which is really sad for Royals fans.
Shanaka's recent form is Very Good
Shanaka, who is a lower-order batter and also bowls medium pace, was the captain of Sri Lanka in the recent T20 World Cup. His batting form is amazing right now because he hit a 20-ball fifty against Oman and then scored 76 not out in just 31 balls against Pakistan. That is some serious hitting.
He played IPL before in 2023 for the Gujarat Titans, but he only played three games, and his performance was not that great. But now he is coming with much better form, so maybe this time he will do well.
PSL Not Happy With Players Leaving
Shanaka is the second player who left his PSL team to join the IPL in the last few days. Before him, Blessing Muzarabani left Islamabad United to join Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman, who was released because of some geopolitical stuff between India and Bangladesh.
The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, is very angry about this. He said they will take action against players who leave PSL for IPL, just like they banned Corbin Bosch for one year last time. He said clashing with IPL is not the issue, but players cannot just leave like this.
While Virat Kohli continues to stay connected with the game even outside international formats, his presence in franchise cricket still excites millions of fans. Recently, his arrival at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp ahead of IPL 2026 created a massive buzz among supporters, showing that his passion and commitment to the game remain as strong as ever. If you want to know more about how Kohli rejoined the squad and the reactions around it, check out this detailed update:
Virat Kohli Hits Bengaluru to Join RCB Camp for IPL 2026, Ready to Make More History!
Who Else is in the Rajasthan Royals Team
Shanaka will join many other overseas players in the RR squad. The list includes Shimron Hetmyer, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Kwena Maphaka, and Adam Milne. That is a strong group of foreign players.
The full RR squad also has Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag who is the captain now, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, and others.
🚨 𝑹𝑬𝑷𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑺 🚨
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) March 22, 2026
Dasun Shanaka withdraws from PSL to play in the IPL and is likely to replace Sam Curran in the Rajasthan Royals squad for the upcoming season! 🩷🏏
(Source: Danushka Aravinda)#RR #IPL2026 #DasunShanaka #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/MZRJMeZwg1
When Will RR Play Their First Match
Rajasthan Royals did not have a good season last time because they finished one spot from the bottom. This year, they want to do better. Their first match is on Monday, March 30, in Guwahati against the Chennai Super Kings. That will be a very exciting match because Sanju Samson will play against his old team.
After that, they play the Gujarat Titans on April 4, then the Mumbai Indians on April 7, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10.
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