Kumar Sangakkara Critiques Sam Curran's Injury Absence in IPL 2026

In IPL 2026, Kumar Sangakkara voiced his disappointment regarding Sam Curran's absence due to injury, which affected Rajasthan Royals' performance. Despite Curran's return to play for Surrey, his absence was felt during the season. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also fell short of a century again, while Shubman Gill led Gujarat Titans to victory. The Royals faced elimination after a defeat against GT, who will now compete in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 30, 2026, 07:49 IST

Sangakkara's Disappointment Over Curran's Injury

Kumar Sangakkara expressed his frustration regarding Sam Curran's absence from IPL 2026 due to a suspected groin injury. The England all-rounder, who transitioned from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to Rajasthan Royals (RR) through a trade before the mini-auction, was sidelined more than a week prior to the tournament's commencement. Despite this setback, Curran made a comeback for Surrey in the Vitality T20I Blast on May 22, participating in three matches as a specialist batter without bowling.

"We were informed that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury, yet I noticed him playing a couple of games for Surrey. That was disappointing because we would have loved to have him here with us," Sangakkara remarked following RR's elimination from the season.

In Curran's absence, RR brought in Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka as a replacement, who concluded the season with 63 runs and one wicket across seven matches. The team felt the void of a quality pace-bowling all-rounder during the season.

RR's journey in IPL 2026 ended after a defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the second Qualifier. Despite posting a formidable total of 215 runs, they were unable to defend it.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Falls Short of Century Again

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi misses out on century again

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi narrowly missed achieving a century once more, scoring 96 runs off 47 balls in the second Qualifier. Previously, he had made an impressive 97 runs off just 29 balls in the first Qualifier.

Shubman Gill showcased his leadership skills for GT, scoring 104 runs off 53 balls during the chase. He and Sai Sudharsan provided a stellar start, accumulating 167 runs for the first wicket in merely 12.5 overs. GT successfully completed the chase in 18.4 overs and will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.