Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who signed for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), on Saturday pulled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after experiencing discomfort in his left foot.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of the 26-year-old’s availability as the leg-spinner will continue his recovery ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
As per Cricbuzz, Hasaranga has been advised by an expert to rest and heal his left ankle after sustaining an injury during Sri Lanka’s last white-ball series against Bangladesh in March.
"I believe so," Hasaranga’s manager, Shyam, told Cricbuzz. "Sri Lanka Cricket has written to the BCCI informing them about his unavailability. He went to Dubai for medical advice and stayed there for three days. Given the current situation, the expert's advice is that he should rest rather than participate in the IPL this season."
SRH bought Hasaranga for INR 1.5 crore at the 2024 IPL auction in December 2023. Being an expert in the shorter format, the franchise had high expectations from the 26-year-old and his absence will surely be felt.
The Sri Lankan’s most notable IPL campaign was in 2022 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) where he picked 26 wickets at an economy of 7.54 and was one of the best bowlers of that edition.
Earlier in March, Hasaranga was handed a two-match ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after racking up eight demerit points for breaching ICC’s code of conduct for players during the third ODI against Bangladesh.
Right after the suspension, the all-rounder came out of Test retirement which meant he would miss Sri Lanka’s Test matches. Had he not taken the retirement back, he would have missed Sri Lanka’s group matches at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
- Wanindu Hasaranga