Colombo, March 20: The Sri Lanka Cricket Board has mandated a fitness test for its players before granting them No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to participate in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL 2026 is set to commence on March 28.
Several Sri Lankan players selected by various franchises are currently recovering from injuries, prompting the board to require all players to pass the fitness test. According to a report by ‘Cricbuzz’, the test is expected to take place in Colombo at the beginning of next week, and 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 receive information about the Sri Lankan players only after the completion of the fitness tests. Reports indicate that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has decided to conduct the fitness tests on Monday and Tuesday, after which further details will be available.
Sri Lankan 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, following a hamstring strain in his left leg during a match against Ireland. Meanwhile, Pathirana was sidelined due to injury after playing three matches in the tournament.
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, although they did impress in the group stage by eliminating the 2021 champions Australia from the tournament.