Rajasthan Royals Face Big Blow as Sam Curran Likely to Miss IPL 2026
Rajasthan Royals have suffered a setback ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026 season with England all-rounder Sam Curran likely to miss the campaign due to a suspected groin injury.
Curran, who was part of England's T20 World Cup side that recently lost to India team in the semifinals, was traded by Chennai Super Kings to Rajasthan Royals last year along with Ravindra Jadeja in exchange for India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the English all-rounder may miss the full season. Curran last appeared on March 5 during the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, where England fell to eventual champions India in the semi-final match.
Curran, who played for Chennai Super Kings in 2020 and 2021 and rejoined the side ahead of last season for Rs 2.4 crore, finished the 2025 campaign with 114 runs and one wicket in five matches for the Chennai franchise.
The 27-year-old was set to make his debut for the Royals after being acquired in a high-profile trade with Chennai Super Kings last November.
Former India pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji had expressed surprise that Rajasthan Royals did not appoint either of the experienced Ravindra Jadeja or Sam Curran as captain, opting instead for Riyan Parag as skipper.
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The report added that Rajasthan Royals could be exploring several options. Apart from Jadeja, the franchise also has all-rounder Donovan Ferreira, a big-hitting batter who can contribute with handy off-spin.
Ferreira, like Curran and Jadeja, joined Rajasthan Royals via a trade, moving from Delhi Capitals at his base price of Rs 1 crore.
(With inputs from ANI)