Sam Curran, the England all-rounder, finally broke his silence on missing the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 due to a groin injury. The 27-year-old was all set to represent the Rajasthan Royals after being traded to the inaugural champions; however, a last-minute injury after the T20 World Cup 2026 ruled him out of the competition. Curran, who has emerged as one of the finest pacers in the shortest format of late, was traded to Rajasthan by CSK last year for INR 2.40 crore. Both Curran and Ravindra Jadeja joined Rajasthan, while the five-time champions got Sanju Samson on board.
Speaking to the BBC, Curran revealed he was carrying a groin injury at the T20 World Cup, where England reached the semi-finals and lost to India at the Wankhede Stadium. He stated that he underwent scans after the tournament ended, which required him to rest and undergo rehabilitation.
“It’s an injury that I’ve kind of been battling with a little bit. It has gradually got fractionally worse. I went for a couple of scans, and it showed reasonable damage, so I had to make the tough decision. It was hindering me quite a bit,” Curran told the BBC.
“To miss the IPL was very disappointing, and now I guess I just have a rehab block of trying to get strong and fit for whenever it feels right,” he added.
Last week, the Royals confirmed Curran’s replacement, signing Sri Lanka T20I captain Dasun Shanaka for INR 2 crore.
‘Tough to watch’
Curran played all eight matches for England in the T20 World Cup. However, he’s now set not to feature imminently for Surrey in the County Championship, which starts next week. The all-rounder also couldn’t confirm whether he would be fit in time to lead the county in the upcoming T20 Blast.
“It’s all going to come down to symptoms. It is obviously still a way off from that,” said the 27-year-old.
“I guess it is probably my first time to do a bit of rehab now back in England; it will be tough to watch the IPL because I know that I’d like to have been there, but injuries are part of sport,” he added.
Earlier this week, England opening batter Ben Duckett pulled out of the IPL 2026 to prolong his international career. The left-hander was acquired by the Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crore. With this last minute decision, Duckett is set to be banned from the tournament for the next two years.
