Sangakkara questions Sam Curran’s absence from IPL

Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has questioned the last-minute injury pull-out from England all-rounder Sam Curran and said the BCCI must continue to ensure that foreign players meet their contractual obligations throughout the Indian Premier League.

Curran had withdrawn from the IPL, citing a season-ending groin injury. However, he is back in action, having played three games for Surrey in the T20 Blast back home.

Overseas players’ availability has always been an issue in the IPL. This season, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins turned up for their respective teams in the second half of the competition due to niggles.

Punjab Kings co-owner Mohit Burman too has said the BCCI and foreign boards need to align better on player availability so that a team’s balance is not impacted significantly. The BCCI already has a two-year ban in place for a foreign player who pulls out of the IPL after being bought in the auction.

Following the loss to Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator, the Royals’ coach Sangakkara expressed his frustration over Curran’s case that forced them to find a replacement in Dasun Shanaka. “We were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury, but I think I saw him playing for Surrey for two games or three games now, so that was disappointing.  “We’d have loved to have had him here playing for us, but I think having got Dasun Shanaka as a replacement when we were told early, everyone should be extremely proud of themselves,” said Sangakkara.

Can the BCCI deal with the player availability problem more strictly?

“A proper tight policy around that is always a requirement. The BCCI has a strict policy on that. Every person goes through injuries, and if it’s a serious injury, (or) a season-ending injury, of course we understand,” said the head coach.

“We’ve had quite a few injuries. We’ve also had players like Adam Milne, (Shimron) Hetmyer, quite a few who’ve come here, not had much of a game. Lhuan-dre Pretorius is another one.”

“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 in this journey. 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, it’s 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. Every side in the IPL will benefit from that,” Sangakkara added.