Sam Curran is injured and unavailable for IPL 2026. Even before the injury, his projected WAR/M of 0.04 placed him at the margins of RR's squad. The numbers explain why he sits outside the optimal XII.

Curran's career WAR/M of 0.13 across 191 T20 matches and 2616 T20 balls was built on all-round value: 0.14 batting and -0.01 bowling. That negative bowling WAR/M, across 3528 bowling balls, means he has been a below-replacement bowler for his career despite taking 199 wickets.

Batting Profile

With the bat, Curran scored at 135 SR across his career. His middle-overs SR of 123 is 22 points below the 144 league average. In the powerplay: 101 across 160 balls. At the death: 164 across 475 balls.

The batting numbers show a player who struggles in the first two phases and provides average output at the death. His SRae was flat, indicating no surplus above expectation.

Bowling Profile

Curran bowled at 9 economy across 591 overs. In the powerplay: 8 economy with 46 wickets. At the death: 10 with 105 wickets. In the middle: 9 with 48 wickets.

The issue is not the raw numbers but the phase-adjusted comparison. His Ecae was flat, meaning he performed exactly at expectation, and for a player occupying an overseas all-rounder slot, "average at everything" does not justify selection.

Why He Is Excluded

Even if healthy, Curran would not make RR's XII. The overseas slots go to Hetmyer (batting), Ferreira (bat/bowl/keep), Burger (new-ball pace), and Archer (death pace). Curran's all-round profile does not exceed any of those specialists in their primary roles. His xImpact of 19 is the lowest among RR's overseas options.

What This Means for IPL 2026

The injury removes any selection debate. Curran frees up cap space and a roster spot without costing RR production they would miss. His 0.04 projected WAR/M confirms the model sees him as a replacement-level player at this stage. If he recovers for future seasons, he would need significant improvement in either batting SR or bowling economy to reclaim an overseas spot.