Former champions Rajasthan Royals will have to look for a Sam Curran replacement after the all-rounder was ruled out of IPL 2026. The England star had a solid campaign in the T20 World Cup recently. However, a groin injury has ruled him out of the coming season.
Curran was traded in by the franchise from Chennai Super Kings alongwith Ravindra Jadeja in return for Sanju Samson. The left-arm pace all-rounder made a good impact for England recently, and was expected to play a key part in the Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026 squad.
The Riyan Parag-led side has several pace bowling options in Jofra Archer, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, and Adam Milne. Which means they do not necessarily need a seamer to replace Curran. However, lower middle order hitter is something they require. Here we take a look at three potential candidates to be the Sam Curran replacement for IPL 2026.
The Sri Lankan T20 captain could be in demand with multiple teams looking for a replacement. Dasun Shanaka has the ability to provide power down the order and bowl a couple of pace overs. A role that the Royals need to fill in.
Apart from the Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad are also looking for a similar player type after Jack Edwards was ruled out. Shanaka has played only three games in the league for Gujarat Titans in 2023. His overall T20 strike rate of 143 and experience as a finisher makes him a strong candidate.
Aaron Hardie is another player who can provide Rajasthan with firepower down the order. He can also contribute with his medium pace bowling. The Aussie all-rounder could be a good Sam Curran replacement for this season. The Royals need a hitter, and there aren’t many quality options left in the available pool.
Hardie was a part of Punjab Kings in the previous edition but did not get a game. He is currently signed with Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but if an IPL team comes calling, he might pull out.
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This is a bit of off-field choice but could be a smart Sam Curran replacement. Rehan Ahmed is one of the most promising players in the world and Rajasthan Royals can secure him for a couple of seasons at least.
Rehan is an excellent hitter of spin bowling and is pretty decent against pace as well. His value as a leg-spin all-rounder makes him a good option to have in the squad. It can give the Royals more room to be flexible with their playing XI combination.
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