With England all-rounder Sam Curran being ruled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League season due to a groin injury, Sri Lanka T20 skipper Dasun Shanaka is moving closer to signing a deal with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 ahead of the 19th edition that is about to begin on the 28th of March.

Curran was part of a player exchange deal between the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals in which CSK bought Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals, while the Rajasthan Royals bought Curran and India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja from CSK.

Shanaka was bought for a sum of PKR 75 lakhs by the Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandars after he went unsold during the auctions in Abu Dhabi. As per some reports, a Rajasthan Royals official recently stated that the franchise is very close to signing the all-rounder. The all-rounder is in the process of completing some paperwork with Sri Lanka Cricket.

Players are opting to play in the IPL rather than in the PSL

A few days ago, Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani rejected a deal with Islamabad United and joined the Kolkata Knight Riders for the upcoming IPL season. South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch also rejected a deal with Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL last season and signed a contract with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

As per reports, Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams will replace Shanaka in the Lahore Qalandars team. Shanaka impressed with the bat in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in India & Sri Lanka, where he scored 50 against Oman in 20 balls and 76 against Pakistan in 31 balls.

Rajasthan Royals finished 9th in the points table with just 8 points in 14 matches last season and will hope to put up a decent performance in the 19th edition, aiming to finish in the top 4 and qualify for the semi-finals. Rajasthan Royals play their first match against Chennai Super Kings on the 30th of March at Guwahati, Assam.