Good news for Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026, THIS star player replaces Sam Curran, he is…

Rajasthan Royals sign star all-rounder as Sam Curran’s replacement ahead of IPL 2026 campaign opener against Chennai Super Kings which is scheduled to be played on March 30

IPL 2026, San Curran, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals, RR, Dasun Shanaka, Dasun Shanaka replaces Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Blessing Muzarabani, PSL 2026, — Good news for Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026 (Source:IANS)

IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals have named Sri Lanka’s T20I captain Dasun Shanaka as a replacement for the injured Sam Curran ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026.

Rajasthan Royals took to social media to confirm his signing and captioned it as, “From the shores of Lanka to Rajasthan, this all-rounder is now ouRRs! Padhaaro mhare des, Dasun Shanaka”

The franchise confirmed that Shanaka was acquired for a fee of Rs 2 crore. The Sri Lankan all-rounder brings with him a wealth of international experience as he represented his country in 6 Tests, 71 ODIs, and 131 T20Is. Across formats, he has scored a total of over 3,350 runs and picked up 86 wickets.

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Shanaka has previously represented Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 as a replacement for injured New Zealand batter Kane Williamson, scoring 26 runs in three matches. He was picked by Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans (GT) again during the 2025 season as a mid-tournament replacement for injured New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips, but did not get an opportunity to play a game.

His inclusion is expected to add balance to the Rajasthan side as they look to cope with Curran’s absence in the upcoming season.

Dasun Shanka opts for the IPL over PSL

After going unsold at the IPL mini-auction last December, Shanaka was acquired by PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars. His decision to quit PSL and join the IPL makes him the latest player to switch, following Blessing Muzarabani, who left Islamabad United to join Kolkata Knight Riders as Mustafizur Rahman’s replacement.

Riyan Parag-led Rajasthan Royals is all set to face Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 campaign opener at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on March 30.

Sam Curran has been ruled out of the 19th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, due to a suspected groin issue. Rajasthan Royals bought Curran via a trade with five-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, Curran and Ravindra Jadeja were traded by CSK to RR in exchange for Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals updated squad: Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Donovan Ferreira, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh, Sushant Mishra, Vignesh Puthur, Yash Raj Punja, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Adam Milne

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The Times Of Bengal