RR set to sign Dasun Shanaka as Sam Curran replacement

There is another defection from the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Dasun Shanaka moving to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Shanaka is set to be signed by the Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming season, coming in as a replacement for the injured Sam Curran, who was earlier ruled out of IPL 2026.

A top Royals official confirmed the signing to . "Yes, we're close to signing him," an official of the franchise told this website. "A few formalities are pending. He has to complete some paperwork with Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC)"

Shanaka had remained unsold at the Abu Dhabi mini-auction last December following which he enrolled for the PSL auction, where he was bought by Lahore Qalandars for PKR 75 lakh.

Shanaka is the second player in recent times to shift to the IPL from the PSL. Blessing Muzarabani of Zimbabwe pulled out of his contract with Islamabad United to join Kolkata Knight Riders, who signed him in place of Mustafizur Rahman. The famous case of PSL to IPL jump, of course, was of South Africa's Corbin Bosch last year, when he had spurned a Peshawar Zalmi gig to join Mumbai Indians last year.

The PSL reacted strongly, banning him for a year. However, its policy of scheduling the league concurrently with the IPL - ostensibly to ensure the availability of overseas players - appears to be backfiring, with foreign players opting to withdraw from the PSL when an IPL opportunity came their way. reached out to the Lahore Qalandars for a comment.

The choice of Dasun Shanaka by the Rajasthan Royals is hardly surprising. Head coach Kumar Sangakkara is a Sri Lankan, while assistant coach Vikram Rathour worked with Sri Lanka as batting coach during the T20 World Cup, where Shanaka was the country's captain. Though the co-hosts failed to reach semifinals, Shanaka impressed with two half-centuries in the tournament.

Meanwhile, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed the media in Lahore on Sunday regarding changes to the PSL operations and venues and hinted that the board may initiate legal action against players who have breached their PSL contracts.

"As far as this thing is concerned, we are taking action against them according to the rules. There was a case last year as well, this time there were 2-3 cases, it will be exactly the same as it was last year," said Naqvi.

Later, Lahore Qalandars told this website the Shanaka did not seek a release formally from the franchise but they are ready with a like-for-like replacement. "He did not ask for release but we have a replacement in Daniel Sams. Like for like," Sameen Rana, the promoter of the franchise, said.