The eagerly awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence on March 28. Currently, only the fixtures for the initial 20 matches have been unveiled, primarily due to ongoing state elections.
As the league approaches, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be without their all-rounder Sam Curran, who is sidelined due to an injury. In light of this setback, head coach Kumar Sangakkara voiced his disappointment.
“Losing a player of Sam’s caliber just before the season begins is quite disheartening,” he remarked.
To fill Curran’s shoes, the franchise has signed Sri Lankan cricketer Dasun Shanaka as his replacement. Speaking about Shanaka’s addition to the team, Sangakkara emphasized his quality as an all-rounder, noting that he contributes significantly to the team’s balance.
“Sam provides tremendous value with both bat and ball. However, we are grateful to have secured a suitable replacement in Dasun Shanaka, who is a reliable finisher and a strong all-rounder that enhances our squad’s composition,” said Sangakkara.
The tournament’s opening match will feature the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), facing off against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Rajasthan Royals will kick off their IPL 2026 journey on March 30, taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
IPL 2026 Team Rosters:
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar.
Rajasthan Royals: Ravindra Jadeja, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Milne, Donovan Ferreira (WK), Jofra Archer, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande, Sam Curran, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Sen, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sushant Mishra, Yudhvir Singh, Shubham Dubey, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao, Kwena Maphaka, Yash Punja, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Singh (WK), Brijesh Sharma.
(With ANI Inputs)