The World Cricketers’ Association has publicly backed Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Thushara in his legal battle with Sri Lanka Cricket over a No Objection Certificate for the 2026 Indian Premier League, framing the dispute as part of a wider global problem around player rights.
WCA chief executive Tom Moffat told Newswire that players should not be forced into court to secure basic professional freedoms. “We hope that common sense prevails as we are seeing more and more of these issues around the world, and we believe they are avoidable,” Moffat said. “Players shouldn’t be required to take legal action to enforce their basic rights. The NOC system is currently built on the idea that a governing body can control or prevent a player from earning a living elsewhere — even when there is no contractual relationship with them. People working in any industry would find that difficult to understand.”
Moffat said the association remained open to working with cricket boards on “balanced, fairer regulatory systems fit for modern cricket,” pointing to the WCA’s global game structure report released last year.
The court case
Thushara filed his plaint last week in the Colombo District Court seeking an order directing Sri Lanka Cricket to issue the NOC so he can play for Royal Challengers in the 2026 IPL. It is the first time a Sri Lankan cricketer has sued the board over an NOC refusal. Named as defendants are SLC President Shammi Silva, Secretary Bandula Dissanayake, Treasurer Sujeewa Godaliyadda and CEO Ashley de Silva.
The bowler, who received NOCs for the 2024 and 2025 IPL seasons, says SLC refused his 2026 certificate this time citing a failure to meet newly introduced fitness standards. Thushara argues that his central contract with SLC lapsed on March 31 and that he had already notified the board he would not renew it or remain available for international selection — which in his view removed the basis for any fitness-related refusal.
He has told court that losing the NOC would cost him his franchise slot and future earnings, and is asking for a declaration of entitlement to the NOC together with interim and permanent injunctions compelling SLC to issue it for the IPL and other overseas leagues. The case is scheduled to be taken up on April 9.
The WCA endorsement comes as the SLC administration itself faces a separate governance backlash from Colts Cricket Club over a Special General Meeting decision to move into construction and housing contracts.
