Wanindu Hasaranga will not be participating in IPL 2024.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has officially notified the BCCI that the leg-spinner is injured and unable to compete for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season.
The franchise is currently in search of a replacement player.
According to sources familiar with the situation, SLC has communicated to the BCCI that the 26-year-old requires rehabilitation and rest to address his left ankle injury, rendering him unavailable for the IPL season.
He recently sought medical advice in Dubai, where an expert recommended precautionary rest instead of participating in the IPL.
“I believe so,” confirmed the player’s manager, Shyam, to Cricpulse.
“Sri Lanka Cricket has informed the BCCI about his unavailability.
He consulted with a medical expert in Dubai and received advice to prioritize rest over IPL participation this season.”
Initially, the manager had assured this website that Hasaranga would indeed be part of the SRH squad.
Hasaranga’s withdrawal has raised questions about foreign players registering for the IPL auction and subsequently pulling out for reasons that seem unclear.
Notably, SLC had selected him for a Test series in Bangladesh, coinciding with the commencement of the IPL on March 22.
Interestingly, had Hasaranga not been called out of retirement and chosen for the Test side, he would have faced ineligibility to lead Sri Lanka in the first four matches of the T20 World Cup in June due to ICC disciplinary action.
Previously, there has been speculation within the IPL about foreign players opting out of the league if they are dissatisfied with their auction price.
Hasaranga’s previous price was INR 10.75 crores, and after being released by RCB, his auction value plummeted to the base price of INR 1.5 crores, at which SRH acquired him for this season.
However, his manager has refuted any connection between the withdrawal and auction value.
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