Dasun Shanaka set to replace injured Sam Curran at Rajasthan Royals

There is another defection from the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Dasun Shanaka moving to the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rajasthan Royals are expected to sign Shanaka for the upcoming season to replace Sam Curran, who was previously ruled out of the IPL 2026. 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. He was banned for a year as a result of the PSL's strong reaction. 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. The Rajasthan Royals' decision to select Dasun Shanaka is not surprising. Kumar Sangakkara is from Sri Lanka, and assistant coach Vikram Rathour worked as the batting coach for Sri Lanka during the T20 World Cup, when Shanaka was captain of the nation. Shanaka impressed in the tournament with two half-centuries, despite the co-hosts' inability to reach the semifinals. In the meantime, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi spoke to the media on Sunday in Lahore about changes to the PSL's operations and venues. He also said that the board might take legal action against players who broke their PSL contracts.