Rajasthan Royals head coach and former Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara questioned Sam Curran‘s decision to pull out of the ongoing IPL after the all-rounder was spotted turning out for Surrey in the T20 Blast. Sam Curran was set to be a key part of the Royals lineup after moving from Chennai Super Kings as part of trade deal alongside Ravindra Jadeja. However, after the T20 World Cup, Curran had pulled out of the IPL with a groin injury with RR eventually replacing him with Dasun Shanaka.
The Sri Lankan all-rounder featured seven times for the Rajasthan Royals, including the second qualifier which they lost on Friday.
Kumar Sangakkara on Sam Curran’s unavailability
Speaking after the match, Kumar Sangakkara revealed that he was disappointed to see Curran turn out for Surrey with the IPL still on. He said, “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. But I think it was good having Dasun Shanaka as a replacement when we were told early.”
Sam Curran has captained Surrey in all three games so far and is the top run getter in the tournament until now even though the bowler hasn’t bowled yet.
Sam Curran’s initial views on the injury he has
The all-rounder, Sam Curran revealed a couple of months ago in a media interaction that there is no timeframe on his return to action.
Sam Curran had said, “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 showed reasonable damage, so I had to make a tough decision. It was hindering me quite a bit. 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. It will be tough to watch the IPL because I know that I’d like to have been there, but injuries are a part of sport.”
Kumar Sangakkara Welcomes BCCI’s policy of imposing strict sanctions on players skipping IPL
There is no immediate update on the potential implications this will have on Curran’s IPL’s future, Kumar Sangakkara welcomed the BCCI’s policy on imposing a ban on players pulling out after being picked in the auction while also reserving praise for the overseas stars in their squad who warmed the bench for most parts of the season.
Kumar Sangakkara stated, “I think a proper tight policy around that is always a requirement. And the BCCI has a strict policy on that. Every person goes through injuries. And if it’s a serious injury, a season-ending injury, of course we understand, We’ve had quite a few injuries.”Â
Kumar Sangakkara further added, “We’ve also had players like Adam Milne, Shimron Hetmyer, quite a few who’ve come here, and not had much of a game. Lhuan-dre Pretorius is another. Kwena Maphaka is another one. They’ve been here. They’ve done the hard yards, they’ve practised, they’ve carried water for the team. And they’ve really worked as hard as anyone else to support the team on his journey. So, I mean it’s really up to that individual player to decide whether they want to come or not.”Â
Kumar Sangakkara signed off, “But I think the BCCI policy around it is 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. And I think every side in the IPL will benefit from that.”Â
It remains to be seen if any action is taken against Sam Curran or not by BCCI and IPL. But one thing is for certain, Kumar Sangakkara is pissed off and angry at Curran and he expressed his frustration over here.
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