Kumar Sangakkara, the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals, questioned England all-rounder Sam Curran’s last-minute injury withdrawal and stated that the BCCI must keep making sure foreign players fulfill their contractual commitments during the Indian Premier League.
Citing a season-ending groin ailment, Curran had withdrawn from the 2026 Indian Premier League. But after playing three games for Surrey in the T20 Blast back home, he is back in action.
The availability of foreign players has always been a problem in the IPL. This season, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins played for their respective teams in the second half of the competition due to niggles. Mohit Burman, co-owner of the Punjab Kings, has also stated that the BCCI and foreign boards need to better coordinate player availability so that a team’s balance is not greatly affected.
A foreign player who withdraws from the IPL after being purchased at auction already faces a two-year ban from the BCCI.
After the Royals’ seven-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 2 match, coach Sangakkara voiced his dissatisfaction at Curran’s situation, which compelled them to replace him with Dasun Shanaka.
“We were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury, but I think I saw him playing for Surrey for two games or three games now, so that was disappointing. We’d have loved to have had him here playing for us, but I think having got Dasun Shanaka as a replacement when we were told early, everyone should be extremely proud of themselves,” PTI quoted Sangakkara as saying.
Is it possible for the BCCI to address the issue of player availability more rigorously?
“A proper tight policy around that is always a requirement. The BCCI has a strict policy on that. Every person goes through injuries, and if it’s a serious injury, (or) a season-ending injury, of course we understand,” said the head coach.
“We’ve had quite a few injuries. We’ve also had players like Adam Milne, (Shimron) Hetmyer, quite a few who’ve come here, not had much of a game. Lhuan-dre Pretorius is another one.”
“Kwena Maphaka is another one. They’ve been here, they’ve done the hard yards, they’ve practiced, they’ve carried water for the team, and they’ve really worked as hard as anyone else to support the team in this journey. It’s really up to that individual player to decide whether they want to come or not.”
“But I think the BCCI policy around it, it’s very strict now, and that’s the way it should continue to be very strict to make sure that contractual obligations are met properly and genuinely. Every side in the IPL will benefit from that,” Sangakkara added.
