Rajasthan Royals have had their boat rocked before the start of their 2026 Indian Premier League campaign as England all-rounder Sam Curran is set to miss the season at his new franchise with a suspected groin issue.
Curran last played on March 5 in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where England lost to eventual champions India in the semi-final. Him and India stalwart Ravindra Jadeja were traded by Chennai Super Kings to to Rajasthan Royals in exchange for India keeper-bat Sanju Samson, who recently emerged as the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup.
Since Riyan Parag is not the greatest sixth bowling option, the idea was to bring genuine all-rounders into the fold to fix the lack of depth in both the departments, particularly bowling after the exits of Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Ashwin, and Trent Boult.
Jadeja and Sam Curran, bartered against the most capped player, highest run-scorer, and long-standing face of the franchise, are expected to heal the structural imbalances that saw the Royals decay at the bottom of the table last year.
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings have also been dealt a significant blow ahead of the start of the tournament, with crafty pacer Nathan Ellis ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring pull.
The 31-year old Australian seamer featured for Tasmania in the Australian One-Day Cup final in Hobart, picking up 2/26 across five overs as his team lost to New South Wales. The hamstring niggle eventually kept him out of the knockout stage of the Big Bash League where he captained the Hobart Hurricanes.
