Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka has withdrawn from the Lanka Premier League 2026 to focus on recovering from a long-standing injury, his management confirmed on Monday.
Nissanka, who is currently Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked T20I batter, has been on a continuous workload over the past year that has spanned international duty and a stint at the Indian Premier League. Although the 28-year-old was eligible for selection, he was not among the direct signings announced ahead of LPL 2026, and his manager has now informed organisers he will skip the tournament entirely.
“Our priority is playing for Sri Lanka, so we have decided to use this period to ensure he recovers fully ahead of the important series against India and England,” manager Asanka Wijewardena said, adding that the period would also be used to manage the build-up to Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies that immediately precedes the LPL window.
The withdrawal lands as the LPL 2026 player draft was completed with all five franchises finalising squads on Monday ahead of the July 17 opener between Jaffna Kings and the Galle Marvels. Nissanka’s call follows the announcement that Indian all-rounder Vijay Shankar has retired from LPL 2026 as the foreign-player roster continues to firm up.
Sources: Newswire.
