Sam Curran breaks silence on missing IPL 2026 for Rajasthan Royals: ‘It will be tough to watch’

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Sam Curran broke his silence on missing the IPL 2026 season for the Rajasthan Royals due to an injury.

Published on: Mar 29, 2026, 08:31:48 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Sam Curran, the England all-rounder, finally broke his silence on missing the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 due to a groin injury. The 27-year-old was all set to represent the Rajasthan Royals after being traded to the inaugural champions; however, a last-minute injury after the T20 World Cup 2026 ruled him out of the competition. Curran, who has emerged as one of the finest pacers in the shortest format of late, was traded to Rajasthan by CSK last year for INR 2.40 crore. Both Curran and Ravindra Jadeja joined Rajasthan, while the five-time champions got Sanju Samson on board.

Sam Curran will miss IPL 2026 for the Rajasthan Royals. (PTI)

Speaking to the BBC, Curran revealed he was carrying a groin injury at the T20 World Cup, where England reached the semi-finals and lost to India at the Wankhede Stadium. He stated that he underwent scans after the tournament ended, which required him to rest and undergo rehabilitation.

“It's an injury that I've kind of been battling with a little bit. It 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,” Curran told the BBC.

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“To miss the IPL was very disappointing, and now I guess I just have a rehab block of trying to get strong and fit for whenever it feels right,” he added.

Last week, the Royals confirmed Curran's replacement, signing Sri Lanka T20I captain Dasun Shanaka for INR 2 crore.

‘Tough to watch’

Curran played all eight matches for England in the T20 World Cup. However, he's now set not to feature imminently for Surrey in the County Championship, which starts next week. The all-rounder also couldn't confirm whether he would be fit in time to lead the county in the upcoming T20 Blast.

“It's all going to come down to symptoms. It is obviously still a way off from that,” said the 27-year-old.

“I guess it is probably my first time to do a bit of rehab now back in England; it will be tough to watch the IPL because I know that I'd like to have been there, but injuries are part of sport,” he added.

Earlier this week, England opening batter Ben Duckett pulled out of the IPL 2026 to prolong his international career. The left-hander was acquired by the Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crore. With this last minute decision, Duckett is set to be banned from the tournament for the next two years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

Sam Curran

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