Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka joined the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2026 as a replacement for Sam Curran. He opted out of his PSL deal with Lahore Qalandars, resulting in a massive financial boost, with his IPL salary nearly 790% higher than his PSL contract.
Sri Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has been signed up by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2026, which will begin on March 28. Shanaka came in as a replacement for England all-rounder Sam Curran, who was ruled out of the season due to a groin injury.
Dasun Shananka recently led Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2026, where the co-hosts crashed out in the Super 8 stage of the tournament despite their dominance in the group stage. With a few days left for the IPL 2026 to begin, the Rajasthan Royals were in a hunt to find an ideal candidate who could replace Sam Curran in the squad.
After much deliberation, the franchise eventually roped in Shanaka as a like-for-like replacement for Curran, banking on his all-round abilities and experience in T20 cricket to fill in the void left by the England cricketer, who also featured in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, ahead of the new season.
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Shanaka Opts Out of PSL For IPL
Dasun Shanaka officially joined the Rajasthan Royals as a replacement for Sam Curran after leaving the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he had already signed with the defending champions Lahore Qalandars for PKR 75 Lakh, which roughly converts to INR 22.5Lakh per season, as a part of the league’s contract structure for overseas players.
Shanaka was drafted into the Qalandors with a fee of PKR 75 lakh in the auction, having been picked from the lower-tier category, reflecting a modest valuation compared to top overseas signings in the league. However, with Lahore Qalandars beginning their quest for the title defence against Hyderabad Kingsmen in the season opener at the Gaddafi Stadium on March 26, the Sri Lankan all-rounder decided to pull out of the PSL and choose to play in the IPL.
On Monday, the Rajasthan Royals officially announced Dasun Shanaka as their new player for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Dasun Shanaka became the second player, after Zimbabwean pacer Blessing Muzarabani, to leave PSL and choose IPL. Muzarabani terminated his PKR 11 million contract with Islamabad United and joined the Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who was released from the squad due to the heightened tensions between India and Bangladesh.
Last year, Corbin Bosch, Michell Owen, Kusal Mendis, and Kyle Jamieson left the PSL mid-season and joined the IPL as replacements for various franchises during the tournament.
Big Financial Boost for Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka’s decision to leave the Pakistan Super League and join hands with the Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season was clever and financially rewarding. The move witnessed a significant increase in his earnings compared to his per-season free at PSL.
At Rajasthan Royals, the Sri Lankan all-rounder was signed for INR 2 crore, more than his base price of INR 75 lakh. Comparing his fee with Lahore Qalandars for the PSL 2026, Shanaka has secured an increase of nearly 790% in his earnings after moving to the IPL.
If we compare his overall earnings across both leagues, Shanaka stands to make INR 3.25 crore in his IPL career. Earlier, he earned INR 50 lakh and INR 75 lakh as a replacement for Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips at the Gujarat Titans in the 2023 and 2025 seasons, respectively. Across two PSL seasons in 2023 and 2024, Dasun Shanaka could make just INR 84 Lakh at Peshwar Zalmi.
Comparing his two seasons' fees at IPL and PSL, Shanaka has earned around 49% more in the IPL than in the PSL. In the upcoming IPL season, Shanaka is set to further boost his earnings with a ₹2 crore deal from Rajasthan Royals, along with potential match fees, making it his most lucrative stint in franchise cricket so far.
In the T20 World Cup 2026, Dasun Shanaka aggregated 165 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 33.00 and a strike rate of 187.50 in seven matches. With the ball, he could pick just three wickets at an average of 34 and an economy rate of 9.
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