Colombo, March 20: The Sri Lanka Cricket Board has mandated a fitness test for its players before issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The IPL 2026 is set to kick off on March 28.
Several Sri Lankan players, selected by various franchises, are currently recovering from injuries. Consequently, the board has made it compulsory for all players to pass the fitness test. According to a report from ‘Cricbuzz’, the test is expected to take place in Colombo at the beginning of next week. Only those players who meet the necessary fitness standards will be eligible to participate in the IPL.
Key players awaiting approval from the Sri Lanka Cricket Board include bowler Matheesha Pathirana (Kolkata Knight Riders), experienced spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (Lucknow Super Giants), left-arm fast bowler Ishan Malinda (Sunrisers Hyderabad), and Nuwan Thushara (Royal Challengers Bangalore). In total, seven Sri Lankan players have been selected for the upcoming season, including Dushmantha Chameera and Pathum Nissanka (both from Delhi Capitals) and Kamindu Mendis (Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Several IPL franchise officials have stated that they will only receive information about the Sri Lankan players after they complete the required fitness tests. Reports indicate that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has scheduled the fitness tests for Monday and Tuesday. Details about the players will be available only after these tests are conducted.
Players Pathirana, Hasaranga, Malinda, and Thushara were unable to participate fully or partially in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup due to injuries. Hasaranga has been out of the team since February 8 after suffering a hamstring strain during a match against Ireland. Pathirana was also ruled out of the tournament after playing three matches due to injury.
The absence of key players due to injuries hindered Sri Lanka’s progress beyond the Super-8 stage. Despite hosting the T20 World Cup, the Sri Lankan team’s performance was disappointing. However, they did impress in the group stage, notably defeating the 2021 champions Australia and eliminating them from the tournament.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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