Kumar Sangakkara Calls Out Sam Curran For Lying to RR About Injury Status

Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara lashed out at veteran all-rounder Sam Curran, following the team’s IPL elimination from Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans. The Sri Lankan doubted the legitimacy of the injury that forced Curran to withdraw from the IPL.

Royals’ 2026 season came to an end, as they suffered a dismal seven-wicket defeat to the Titans in New Chandigarh. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s breathtaking 96-run knock and Donovan Ferreira’s late 38-run blitz helped RR post 214/6.

GT, however, successfully chased down the target in 18.4 overs, driven by a 167-run opening partnership between Shubman Gill, who registered his first hundred of the season, and Sai Sudharsan, who added 58 runs off 32 balls.

Speaking at the post-match presser, RR head coach and director Kumar Sangakkara voiced his frustration over a separate development, outside of the IPL. The 48-year-old noted his disappointment with Sam Curran not joining the team.

Curran had been acquired by RR for INR 2.4 crores in a blockbuster trade deal from CSK. Yet, before the season began, the all-rounder withdrew from the tournament, claiming a severe groin injury he had sustained during the 2026 T20 World Cup.

"I went for a couple of scans, and it showed reasonable damage, so I had to make the tough decision."

Sam Curran is set for a spell on the sidelines as he recovers from the groin injury that ruled him out of the IPL | @NickFriend1https://t.co/LqY0bLegAF

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) March 28, 2026

At the time, Curran had in fact informed the media that he would require an extended break. Sangakkara, however, dropped a truth bomb, revealing that the Englishman has already returned to competitive cricket in his country, while the IPL is still in progress, and that the Royals were kept in the dark about the true timeline of his recovery.

Sam Curran most recently participated in the Vitality T20 Blast, playing for Surrey, where he has scored 141 runs across three matches, while playing solely as a batter. Sangakkara said post-match:

We were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury. But I think I saw him playing for Surrey for two or three games now. So that was disappointing. We would have loved to have had him here playing for us.

Kumar Sangakkara said, “we were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury, but I saw him play 2-3 games for Surrey. That was disappointing because we would have loved to have had him here with us”. pic.twitter.com/ghC12FQ4bY

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 30, 2026

Sangakkara indicated that he would have expected selfless commitment out of the Englishman, citing examples of other overseas players on the team. He pointed out that players such as Adam Milne, Shimron Hetmyer, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius remained with the team and provided support, despite having very few chances to play in the starting lineup. He concluded by endorsing the BCCI policy of imposing a ban on players who withdraw from the IPL after they have already been signed.

We’ve also had players like Adam Milne, [Shimron] Hetmyer, who’ve come here, and not had much of a game… But they’ve really worked as hard as anyone else to support the team. So, I mean, it’s really up to that individual player to decide whether they want to come or not.

Moreover, Curran’s withdrawal forced RR to sign Sri Lankan Dasun Shanaka as an injury replacement. Shanaka’s move to the IPL triggered a controversy when he was handed a one-year ban for violating his PSL contract with Lahore Qalandars.

Kumar Sangakkara declares Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ‘more than ready’ for Indian team call-up

After exclaiming that RR outperformed expectations in IPL 2026, head coach Kumar Sangakkara made a bold assessment about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The ex-Sri Lankan captain suggested that the 15-year-old is ‘more than ready’ to be called up by the Indian team. 

Sooryavanshi leads the IPL 2026 Orange Cap race, having scored 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a blistering strike-rate of 237.30. Across RR’s last four games, he recorded three explosive 90+ scores, but failed to get past the monumental three-figure mark on all occasions. His ability to hit the best bowlers of the game for sixes has firmly put him in contention for a Team India spot. 

As rumors of a potential India call-up persist, Sangakkara reflected on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s season. The 48-year-old added that the left-handed opener has it in him to achieve the highest honors for the country, and shared that the Bihar-born talent is prepared to take on any challenge thrown at him. Sangakkara stated that he is sure the 15-year-old will be picked in India’s T20I squad, very soon. 

With everything he [Vaibhav Sooryavanshi] has shown against some of the best bowlers in the world, I think he’s more than ready to take on any challenge that you throw at him. I’m sure he’ll get that call-up very, very soon.

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The selection committee will likely consider Sooryavanshi when finalizing the squad for the Men in Blues’ upcoming T20I fixtures. India will travel to Ireland for a two-match T20I series, which could potentially offer the young opener a chance to make his debut.

Read More:

• Hardik Pandya Reportedly Quit on Mumbai Indians Mid-Season, Will Likely Be Sacked
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, Breaks Chris Gayle’s 14-Year-Old IPL Record