Rajasthan Royals (RR) have officially announced Sri Lankan all-rounder and T20I captain Dasun Shanaka as the replacement for Sam Curran for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
Curran, who was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025, will miss the tournament due to injury. The English all-rounder was involved in a high-profile pre-auction trade last year: Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moved to Rajasthan Royals, marking Jadeja’s return to his original IPL franchise where he won the inaugural title in 2008.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson joined CSK for a fee of ₹18 crore and has already joined the five-time champions’ training camp in Chennai.
From the shores of Lanka to Rajasthan, this all-rounder is now ouRRs!
Padhaaro mhare des, Dasun Shanaka pic.twitter.com/OY1iPsMHjZ
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 23, 2026
“We are disappointed to lose a player of Sam’s calibre so close to the start of the season. Sam brings immense value with both bat and ball. However, we are pleased to have found an ideal replacement in Dasun Shanaka, a finisher with the bat and a quality all-rounder who helps maintain the balance of our side,” said Kumar Sangakkara, RR’s director of cricket and head coach.
Shanaka will join RR for INR 2 crore. The Sri Lankan all-rounder has represented his country in 6 Tests, 71 ODIs, and 131 T20Is, scoring over 3,350 international runs and claiming 86 wickets. He has previously played in the IPL for Gujarat Titans, featuring in 2023 as a replacement for Kane Williamson and in 2025 for Glenn Phillips, although he didn’t get a game in the latter season.
Shanaka had gone unsold at last year’s IPL auction in Abu Dhabi but was later signed by Lahore Qalandars for PKR 75 lakh in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). With this move, he becomes the second player this year, after Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani, to leave PSL for IPL. Notably, South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch made a similar switch last year, prompting PSL to impose a one-year ban for leaving mid-season.
Rajasthan Royals will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against Chennai Super Kings at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on March 30.