Royal Challengers Bengaluru have shown interest in acquiring England all-rounder Sam Curran from Rajasthan Royals via a trade deal, according to Indian Sports Network.
Positive discussions are ongoing between the two franchises, the outlet stated on August 1. No official confirmation has come from either RCB or RR.
Curran is contracted to Rajasthan Royals at INR 2.4 crore. He was traded from Chennai Super Kings in November 2025 as part of the deal that sent Sanju Samson to CSK in exchange for Curran and Ravindra Jadeja. Curran did not play a single match for RR in IPL 2026 after a groin injury ruled him out of the entire season. Dasun Shanaka replaced him.
Curran later returned to play for Surrey in the Vitality Blast T20 on May 22, while the IPL was still underway. He featured as a specialist batter, skipping his bowling duties, and scored 141 runs in three innings. RR head coach Kumar Sangakkara addressed this during the post-match press conference after RR’s Qualifier 2 elimination.
“We were told that Sam Curran had a season-ending injury, but I think I saw him playing for Surrey for two or three games now. So that was disappointing! We’d have loved to have had him here playing for us.”
Kumar Sangakkara, post-match press conference, Qualifier 2, Chandigarh, May 30, 2026
Curran maintained the decision was not straightforward.
“It’s an injury that I’ve kind of been battling with a little bit. It has gradually got fractionally worse. I went for a couple of scans and it showed reasonable damage, so I had to make the tough decision. It was hindering me quite a bit.”
Sam Curran, interview, 2026
Weeks after Sangakkara’s public criticism, Curran unfollowed Rajasthan Royals on Instagram.
RCB’s Overseas All-Rounder Gap and Curran’s IPL Record
RCB won back-to-back IPL titles in 2025 and 2026. Their current overseas options include Phil Salt, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, and Jacob Duffy. Liam Livingstone was signed for INR 8.75 crore to play as an overseas all-rounder in IPL 2026 but managed 112 runs in 10 matches and was released.
Curran has played 64 IPL matches across four franchises. He has scored 997 runs at an average of 24.93 with six fifties and taken 59 wickets. He became the most expensive player in IPL history in 2023 at INR 18.5 crore. His current contract value stands at INR 2.4 crore.
Insider Read:
A left-arm pace all-rounder who bats in the lower middle order changes how a T20 squad is built. Most overseas slots in the IPL go to specialists: a keeper-batter, a finisher, a fast bowler. That leaves no room for error if one of them has an off day. An all-rounder in that fourth slot gives the captain a bowling option and a batting option in the same pick. Left-arm pace specifically creates a different angle for right-hand-heavy batting lineups, which most IPL sides are. Curran’s ability to bowl at the death and contribute 25 to 30 runs from number six or seven means the playing XI does not have to choose between batting depth and bowling depth. At INR 2.4 crore, that kind of flexibility in the overseas combination is rare in the current trade window.
The IPL 2027 pre-auction trade window opened in early July 2026 and is expected to remain active until approximately a week before the mini-auction in December 2026. Trades require player consent, agreement between both franchises, and IPL Governing Council approval.
The two franchises are understood to be in positive talks, though neither has made an official statement.
🚨 SAM CURRAN X RCB 🚨
– RCB have shown interest in acquiring England all-rounder Sam Curran via a trade deal.
– Positive discussions are ongoing between RCB and RR regarding this tade deal. pic.twitter.com/66k8wVCqsM
— lndian Sports Network (@IS_Netwrk29) August 1, 2026
Indian Sports Network first shared the development on their X account on August 1. No official response from either franchise at time of publication.
Sources:
[Post-match press conference, Qualifier 2, May 30, 2026] — Kumar Sangakkara, Rajasthan Royals
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- Samson on Kohli’s Lifestyle Advice He Couldn’t Follow
- Ashwin on Gambhir and Sanju Samson
- Sanju Samson Dropped for Zimbabwe, BCCI
- Jofra Archer’s IPL and India Warning
- Pandya Dropped Despite 900 Runs, Attitude
- IPL’s 20 Billion Valuation and Brand Value
- Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson
