Lucknow Super Giants have officially confirmed they are looking to replace Wanindu Hasaranga for the 2026 Indian Premier League, with Cricket Director Tom Moody saying a decision will be announced within 48 hours. Meanwhile, fellow Sri Lanka international Matheesha Pathirana is still expected at Kolkata Knight Riders around April 15–16.
Moody told Newswire on Thursday that Hasaranga — who sustained a hamstring injury during Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland in February — had not recovered sufficiently to join the squad and remained in rehabilitation. “LSG is in the process of finalising a replacement,” he said, adding the franchise had been unable to fit the leg-spinner into its season plans after repeated fitness setbacks. Hasaranga was expected to anchor Lucknow’s spin attack.
Hasaranga, bought by Lucknow for ₹2 crore at the auction, has not bowled competitively since the Ireland match. He batted briefly at a national camp at the R. Premadasa Stadium last week but did not roll his arm over. A source close to the player had earlier told CricketAddictor there was “no concrete update” on his return timeline, and he never formally requested a No Objection Certificate from Sri Lanka Cricket.
Hasaranga, bought by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹2 crore at the auction, injured his left hamstring during Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland in February and has not bowled since. He batted briefly at a national camp at the R. Premadasa Stadium last week but did not bowl. A source close to the player told CricketAddictor there was “no concrete update” on his return, and Lucknow confirmed they had not received fresh information from Colombo.
Matheesha Pathirana — contracted to KKR for ₹18 crore — has already completed an SLC fitness assessment after recovering from a calf strain picked up against Australia in the T20 World Cup. He is expected in India by April 15–16 to bolster KKR’s death bowling, a weakness the franchise has struggled to address. Pathirana previously thrived under Dwayne Bravo at Chennai Super Kings; Bravo now serves as a mentor at Kolkata.
Sri Lanka Cricket requires all 45 centrally contracted players to pass a mandatory fitness panel before issuing IPL NOCs. The test comprises a 20-metre sprint, a 5-0-5 agility drill, a counter-movement jump, a 2 km run and a skinfold measurement, with a pass mark of 17 out of 29. Twenty-four players have cleared the threshold, six have failed at least one attempt, and 15 — including Hasaranga — are still to be assessed.
The tighter NOC regime is already the subject of a legal challenge by fast bowler Nuwan Thushara, and captain Charith Asalanka and Dinesh Chandimal have publicly denied reports that they failed the tests. Players withdrawing from the IPL after the auction face a three-season ban under rules tightened after the 2024 Sunrisers Hyderabad dispute.
