Sangakkara questions Sam Curran's IPL absence

Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has questioned Sam Curran's decision to pull out of the ongoing IPL after the allrounder was spotted turning out for Surrey in the T20 Blast.

Curran was set to be a key part of the Royals lineup after moving from Chennai Super Kings as part of a 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 allrounder featured just seven times for the Royals, including the second qualifier which they lost on Friday (May 29). Speaking after the match, Sangakkara revealed that he was disappointed to see Curran turn out for Surrey with the IPL still on. "We were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury," Sangakkara said. "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."

Curran has captained Surrey in all three games so far and is the top rungetter in the tournament until now even though he hasn't bowled yet. The allrounder did reveal a couple of months ago in a media interaction that there is no timeframe on his return to action. "It's an injury that I've kind of been battling with a little bit," Curran had said. "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. 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 part of sport."

While there is no immediate update on the potential implications this will have on Curran's IPL future, 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. "I think a proper tight policy around that is always a requirement," he stated. "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.

"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 this journey. So, I mean, it's really up to that individual player to decide whether they want to come or not. 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."