Sri Lanka all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has been banned from the Pakistan Super League for one year after a Pakistan Cricket Board disciplinary review concluded he had breached his contract with Lahore Qalandars. The PCB issued the ruling on Monday, citing what it called a “unilateral withdrawal” from PSL 2026 to take up an Indian Premier League replacement slot.
Shanaka, 34, was signed by the Qalandars for PKR 75 lakh for the current PSL season. He withdrew from the tournament on March 21 and joined Rajasthan Royals in the IPL a day later, replacing injured all-rounder Sam Curran.
“The review concluded that the player’s unilateral withdrawal from the tournament constituted a clear breach of both the Player Registration terms and the Tripartite Agreement,” the PCB said in its statement. “The findings indicated that the withdrawal was made on grounds not recognized within the existing contractual framework.” The board added that while it noted Shanaka’s expressions of regret and his “stated passion for playing in Pakistan,” the severity of the contractual breach required regulatory action to protect the league’s integrity and exclusivity.
Shanaka, who captained Sri Lanka at the recent T20 World Cup, issued an apology carried in the same PCB release. “I deeply regret my decision to withdraw from the HBL PSL and offer my sincere apologies to the people of Pakistan, the fans of HBL PSL, and the wider cricket community,” he said.
The ban is the first formal disciplinary sanction by a foreign T20 league against a Sri Lankan player for leaving mid-tournament, and sets a precedent other boards are likely to reference when managing overlapping franchise windows. It follows Dinesh Chandimal’s move to Quetta Gladiators earlier this month as a Bevon Jacobs replacement — a transfer that went through the PSL’s regular replacement channel rather than via a unilateral exit.
Shanaka remains available to Sri Lanka and can play in other leagues during the ban.
Source: Newswire (via CricBuzz).
