Curran was traded in by Rajasthan Royals.
As the most lucrative league in the world gets underway, some fans might have questions that why is Sam Curran not playing in IPL 2026? The England all-rounder had a pretty good campaign recently in the T20 World Cup, and was expected to play a key role for Rajasthan Royals in this season.
The 27-year old was part of a trade deal between the Royals and Chennai Super Kings ahead of the auction. He was signed along with Ravindra Jadeja in return for Sanju Samson. So why is Sam Curran not playing in IPL 2026?
According to the latest report, Curran was ruled out of the entirety of the tournament after suffering a groin injury. He was fit throughout the T20 World Cup, and played the semi-final as well. This suggests he might have picked up the injury during one of the training sessions.
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Sam Curran being unavailable for the season comes as a big blow to the franchise as Curran was likely to start in the playing XI. In the recent T20 World Cup, he had made a big impact for England, especially with the ball.
Curran picked up six wickets in the tournament at an economy of 9.46, predominantly bowling in death overs. He was relied upon more than Jofra Archer, who will be spearheading the Rajasthan bowling attack. He also scored 167 runs, playing a couple of crucial knocks.
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His absence means the team now has to look for a replacement, perhaps someone who can provide firepower down the order. Someone like Dasun Shanaka or Daryl Mitchell or Aaron Hardie could be good options they can look at.
If the Royals do not find a suitable hitter, they have to pivot to another pacer, in which case they will not get the batting cushion that Curran offers. They have three overseas pacers in the squad apart from Archer in Adam Milne, Kwena Maphaka, and Nandre Burger. In all likelihood, one of them is likely to start alongside Archer.
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