England all-rounder wants to turn strong IPL into international recall

England all-rounder Sam Curran is hoping to work his way back into the national setup via a strong showing during the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament.

Curran hasn't played for England since he featured in white-ball series against the West Indies in November last year and was recently overlooked for the side's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign that saw skipper Jos Buttler resign as captain following a winless three games in Pakistan.

WATCH: Jos Buttler steps down as England's white-ball captain

While Curran is predominantly considered a T20I specialist and was adjudged Player of the Tournament during England's successful run in Australia in 2022 that saw them claim the ICC Men's T20 World Cup title, the 26-year-old has also played 24 Tests and 35 ODIs for his country since debuting back in 2018.

With Kiwi Brendon McCullum taking over as England coach in all formats from the start of this year and a new white-ball captain set to be announced shortly following the resignation of Buttler, Curran sees plenty of opportunity in front of him in the coming months as the side get set to host the West Indies, India and South Africa at home this summer.

But a two-month stint in the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings is first on the agenda for Curran, with the all-rounder to team up with another Kiwi coach in Stephen Fleming as the side attempts to improve on their fifth-placed finish in the most recent edition of the tournament last year.

WATCH: Sam Curran Player of the Final at T20 World Cup in 2022

And Curran believes some good performances in Chennai will catch the eye of McCullum and help him earn a recall to international cricket.

"My main aim is probably just to get back into the (England white-ball) side," Curran told the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

"With England, I guess I've never really found that perfect role. In the Champions Trophy and the series in India (at the start of 2025), there was no hiding that they stacked the batting in terms of playing a lot of batters and those extra quicks.

"I feel like if I get my role right with England, I'll get back into it, who knows what will happen now. The cliché of (needing) runs and wickets is no debate, I've got to keep doing that.

"I feel in a really good space. I was obviously gutted when it happened, but I'm still pretty young and feel like I have matured when it comes to handling the bad stuff. Being a bit more experienced, reading situations better, I really hope I can get back into the team.

"There is only one way (to do that), hopefully I can have a really good IPL and see where we are in the summer."

WATCH: Sam Curran claims Player of the Tournament award at 2022 T20 World Cup

Curran will also get the chance to further his leadership credentials this summer as he will captain County side Surrey during their T20 campaign in England's domestic Vitality Blast competition.

It could help push Curran's name to the front of the queue when England sit down to appoint a new T20I captain in the coming months, with McCullum recently suggesting he woud consider apponting seperate ODI and T20I skippers going forward.

"If it's the same person, great, if it's two, that's great too," McCullum said on Buttler's potential replacement as captain after England's disapponting Champions Trophy campaign.

"Give me a couple of weeks to work it out and get this thing back on track."

While Curran is yet to work alongside McCullum, he is looking forward to the chance to prove himself in the coming months should the opportunity arise.

"Baz (McCullum) called me at the start when I did get left out, was clear and honest, and I respected that," Curran noted.

"I've never worked under him, but he seems very honest and clear about (what he wants). He said I won't be there right now but that didn't mean the door was shut. It's about going away, doing really well and performing.

"He was very honest in terms of what the balance of the side was and how I could have been in had they done it differently. I respect that more than the classic 'you're just a little bit unlucky to miss out'.

"Sometimes as a player those ones that are a bit more brutal can be really good because you want to go and prove them wrong. Fingers crossed come June I'll be back in the squads and performing."