Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka is set to join the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the upcoming IPL 2026 season as a replacement for injured England all-rounder Sam Curran.
RR have been forced into a late squad change after Sam Curran was ruled out of the tournament due to a groin injury. The franchise quickly moved to secure Shanaka, with sources indicating that the deal is nearly complete, pending minor paperwork related to his commitments in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Another PSL-to-IPL Switch
Shanaka’s move marks yet another instance of players switching from the PSL to the IPL. Recently, Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani left his PSL stint to join Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for Mustafizur Rahman. This growing trend highlights the IPL’s continued dominance as the most lucrative and competitive T20 league in world cricket.
RR, the inaugural IPL champions, will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against five-time winners Chennai Super Kings at ACA Stadium in Guwahati on March 30. “The conversations are ongoing for Shanaka to join RR for the upcoming IPL season. Barring a few formalities which are yet to be completed, this seems to be a done deal and it’s pretty much going in that direction,” a franchise official told IANS on Sunday.
Shanaka’s Recent Form
Under Shanaka’s leadership, co-hosts Sri Lanka had crashed out in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup, Shanaka scored 165 runs including a 31-ball 76 not out against Pakistan, while he also took three wickets in the T20 World Cup. Having gone unsold at the IPL’s mini-auction last December, Shanaka was picked up by PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars.
Shanaka previously played in IPL 2023 for Gujarat Titans as a replacement for the injured New Zealand batter Kane Williamson, where he made 26 runs in three games. He was signed again by Gujarat Titans in 2025 as a mid-season replacement player for injured New Zealand batting all-rounder Glenn Phillips, but didn’t get a game to play.
While Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara is the Royals’ head coach, former India batting coach Vikram Rathour is the assistant coach of the side. Rathour was the consulting batting coach of Sri Lanka during the T20 World Cup.
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