Sri Lanka captain and all-rounder Dasun Shanaka is expected to join Rajasthan Royals in 2026 to replace the injured Sam Curran, dealing even another blow to the Pakistan Super League.
After Zimbabwean pacer Blessing Muzarabani left his contract with Islamabad United to join the Kolkata Knight Riders in place of Mustafizur Rahman, Shanaka is now the most recent player to move from the PSL to the IPL.
“Dasun’s signing is pending owing to his paperwork in the PSL, which is a formality. He is likely to join the squad in Guwahati,” PTI quoted a team source as saying.
In the first phase of the IPL 2026 schedule that has been revealed thus far, the Royals will play their first game against Chennai Super Kings on March 30, 2026, in Guwahati, their home stadium.
Co-hosts Sri Lanka had crashed out of the T20 World Cup Super 8s stage under Shanaka’s captaincy.
In the T20 World Cup, Shanaka collected three wickets in addition to scoring 165 runs, including a 31-ball 76 not out against Pakistan.
Shanaka was acquired by the PSL team Lahore Qalandars after going unsold at the IPL’s mini-auction in December last year.
Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour is the Royals’ assistant coach, while legendary Sri Lankan player Kumar Sangakkara serves as head coach. During the T20 World Cup, Rathour served as Sri Lanka’s consulting batting coach.
